Doppelganger
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: Sometimes you just have to walk in the other person's shoes. Whether you want to or not.
1. Blackmail

**LoveShinobi ****A/N****: I actually don't remember who thought of the idea for this one. It might have been my basis and Angelv perfected it, but it really escapes me. Now this story, is definitely on that is good for laughs because aside from our usual dramatic, action packed, angst love stories. This is pretty much a romantic comedy and you will all see why, very soon. **

**Angelv ****A/N: ****Just a purely comedic story that we decided to do. Hope you enjoy!**

**Now go ahead and enjoy the read and the montage of stories we've put up today. I hope you read them all and review!**

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter One_

-Blackmail-

"Why isn't Kakashi-sensei here yet? I'm tired of waiting!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "Naruto." She said lowly, signaling that if the blonde didn't calm down he would wind up with a large bump on his head. "You just got here a few minutes ago. And you know Kakashi-sensei is _always_ late, no matter how important it is." She told him.

"Yeah, but what if Tsunade-baa-chan actually has an awesome mission for us? And his tardiness could cause her to change her mind, and give us a stupid one." Naruto whined, the mere thought of receiving such a horrible mission causing him even more distress. Sakura clenched her teeth, and her eye began to twitch in annoyance. Sai, who had been watching his teammate pace, spoke up.

"You're causing Ugly to look even uglier. And I did not even think that was possible." The pink haired woman rounded on him, her fist raised for a strike. Suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared, Kakashi was revealed to them, reading a familiar orange book.

"Yo." He said with a wave, not even looking up from the pages.

Naruto's face grew red with rage. "Kakashi-sensei! How could you be late? Now we'll get a stupid mission, and it'll be all your fault!" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger. Sakura just sighed once more and opened the doors to the Hokage's office, not wanting to hear the rest of the blonde's rant.

"We're all here Shishou. Finally." She said, putting on an apologetic smile. Sai came in after her, followed by Naruto, who ran into the room until he was in front of Tsunade's desk. Kakashi entered shortly after, putting his book away so as not to upset the Hokage.

"Don't give us a stupid mission Baa-chan! I swear it was Kakashi-sensei's fault this time! I already had my ramen for the day! And went to the bathroom!" he exclaimed, placing both hands on the blonde Hokage's desk.

The blonde Hokage sat up from her sleeping position and took in the group, starting to look confused. "What do you all want?" she asked, pushing aside her many sake containers that had accumulated over the period of the day.

"Shishou, you called Team Kakashi in for a mission. You didn't say what it was, only that we needed to hurry." Sakura explained.

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, and it's not gonna be a sucky one, right?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"Oh right." She said, sounding tired. She began to search through the mountains of scrolls on her desk and finally stopped on one, unwrapping it. She read over the contents quickly before wrapping it back up and throwing it to Kakashi. "The Tsuchikage has been kidnapped."

"YES! We've been given an awesome one!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air. Then he began to jump around the office in his excitement.

"What?" Sakura asked, shocked. Kakashi just opened the mission scroll and began to read over it.

"And you want us to retrieve him I presume?" the copycat ninja asked, looking up from the scroll.

Tsunade watched Naruto closely, a small glare set in place. "Naruto quit it! This is a serious matter. I will send someone else if you cannot compose yourself and focus. Maybe I should have just let Suna have this one. Their shinobi are far more capable than you." She snapped.

He stopped, sobering instantly. "Sorry." He said sheepishly. Sakura glared at him and looked back to her teacher. Although, she wouldn't lie, she was excited to finally have such an important mission where she would get to do more than just heal people. She would finally get to break in her new pair of gloves.

"Hokage-sama, it says on the scroll that five people are needed. Team Kakashi only has four." The silver haired man pointed out.

"I know." She said simply.

Sai seemed to mirror Kakashi's look. "Then who is the fifth?"

The Hokage let out a long sigh. "This mission was given to both Suna and Konoha. Myself and the Kazekage have already spoken of the matter. He doesn't really care for Iwa, so he let us have most of it. But you will be traveling to Suna and picking one of their shinobi to accompany you on the mission."

"Can we pick any shinobi we want?" Naruto asked, a sly look coming to his face.

Tsunade nodded, "Gaara-sama said you may pick anyone you want."

"Then I know just who to pick." He said, rubbing his hands together in a scheming manner.

* * *

"Naruto, are you going to tell us who you picked for the mission yet? I mean, we're already coming up on Suna." Sakura asked. Ever since receiving their mission from the Hokage and being told they were going to pick the last member of their team, Naruto had been very secretive. It was getting on Sakura's nerves, because she hated it when people knew something she didn't, especially idiots like Naruto.

"Nah ah ah, Sakura-chan. You will see once we talk to Gaara." The blonde answered, walking through the gates.

"Oh come on Naruto. Even I am curious as to who you have picked. If you tell us, I will stop telling people you have a small penis." Sai offered with a smile. "Even though you do." He snickered. Sakura covered her mouth in an attempt to hold in a giggle, but it was unsuccessful.

"I do not have a small penis! It was cold that time, okay?" Naruto declared, his face becoming red in embarrassment.

Kakashi held in a sigh. Sure, they bickered frequently, but it seemed that the heat of the desert only made things worse. He couldn't wait until they were done with the mission so he could return to his book. He had had to stop at one of the best parts too.

They walked to the Kazekage Tower, where they were met with by Temari. "Hey guys. Sakura always nice to see you. It's been so long since your last visit to Suna." The blonde smiled brightly, hugging her friend.

"I know, but things have been so busy lately." Sakura said, returning the embrace. "How are things in Suna?"

Before she could answer, Naruto wedged between the two women. "Yeah yeah. Hugs, love, we missed everyone. Now let's go see Gaara! I have a mission, and I'm not gonna fail it!" he said, pointing his finger in the air. Sakura hit him on top of the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Baka." She muttered, watching as he stumbled to his feet.

Temari snickered and watched the interaction with amusement. "Right, Gaara has prepared a list of some of the best shinobi Suna has to offer, so you can take your pick." She explained, leading them towards the large building. They took a turn though and Naruto frowned.

"Where are we going? Gaara's at the tower, isn't he? That's where Kages live after all, in their towers."

Sai glanced at his blonde teammate, actually looking surprised. "You can't really be that stupid can you?"

"What? It makes sense." He said simply.

"No it doesn't." Sakura sighed.

Temari just laughed, "No today is Gaara's day off. So he's at home."

"Gaara takes time off work? He always seemed like a workaholic, kinda like Sakura-chan." The blonde said, pointing to her with his thumb.

"I am not a workaholic. People need saving all the time you know." The pink haired woman huffed.

Their guide just sighed and shook her head. "Gaara has been very over worked, and he also doesn't sleep very well, so he needs some time off." They came up to a very prestigious house, much bigger than any they had seen. Temari walked through the beautiful double doors. They were cast of iron and had swirled décor with glass in between them. They stopped in the foyer, "Gaara!" Temari yelled loudly. There were two stair cases that went up either side of the room and came together at the top.

Sai glanced around, taking in the artwork. "Hm. This is a pretty nice abode."

"Yes, it is." Sakura said, looking around the large house. She had never seen anything quite this big. You could fit her apartment in it ten, maybe twenty times over. It was a while later before Gaara appeared at the top of the steps, though it was probably just because the house was so massive.

It was actually a sight, to see the Kazekage dressed in normal clothing. The redhead came downstairs, stopping in front of them. He had on some black jeans and a black t-shirt, with the symbol for Suna on it in white. "Sorry this isn't formal or anything. But I've been working from home for the past couple of days."

"Hiya buddy!" Naruto said, hugging the Kazekage.

Gaara stiffened from the blonde's touch, his eye twitching. "Naruto…stop touching me."

"Hug me back, and I'll let go." The blonde said.

"I did not realize the Kazekage shared in Dickless' homosexual tendencies." Sai commented.

Sakura sighed. "He doesn't Sai."

The Kazekage glared over Naruto's shoulder at the new face. He shoved Naruto off, giving him a silencing glance. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

The pale man stepped forward and bowed, though his expression was nothing but taunting. "My name is Sai. And you, I assume, have a small penis." He said with a fake smile plastered on his face.

Gaara went wide eyed and then glared, looking more threatening than before. "_Excuse me_?"

"Will you cut it out with the small penis crap!" Naruto shouted, standing next to the redhead.

Sai blinked. "Why? I have seen yours, and know for a fact that your penis is small. Are you saying that you have seen Gaara's, and have proof that it isn't?" Sakura let out a groan and placed her hand on her forehead, trying to fight away the headache she could feel coming.

The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Whatever. Just follow me and I'll give you the list I have compiled." He said, turning around and heading back up the stairs.

"Oh we don't need to see the list Gaara, I've already picked who's going with us." Naruto said.

He glanced back and stared oddly at his friend. "Well? Who is it?"

"You." He said, smiling.

Sakura looked confused. "Gaara? You picked Gaara to come with us?" she asked, seeming skeptical that the redhead would comply.

"Naruto, do you realize what you're asking? Gaara is the Kazekage, and he has a duty to his village. You can't just assume that because the two of you are friends that he'll join us on the mission." Kakashi said.

"And I won't." he said, sounding irritated. "I don't even like the Tsuchikage. He always calls me a snot nosed brat. I could care less about the old fart."

"Oh come on Gaara, please come! It'll be fun." Naruto sang out, giving his friend his best impression of puppy dog eyes.

Gaara gave Naruto a look and rolled his eyes. "No. I don't even like fun Naruto. So why on earth would I want to go on a, god knows how long, mission with you, your freaky vitamin D deprived friend, and your perverted teacher? Sakura is the only one of you whose company I might actually enjoy. And I do say might, because I really don't want to hear anything about that annoying Uchiha Sasuke and his ugly emo haircut."

"Oh please. I don't ever talk about Sasuke. And it's not like I would enjoy your 'I'm too cool to talk to people and be nice' attitude." Sakura said as she crossed her arms, glaring slightly at the redhead.

Naruto mimicked her actions. "That is no way to talk about someone who we're trying to get to go on the mission with us Sakura-chan. You should be nicer." He said.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "You're the only one who's trying to convince him to come, even though it doesn't make sense."

The red head just stared at Sakura, a grimace forming on his face. "Well, I thought you had gotten less annoying Sakura but I must have been mistaken." He sighed, heading back up the steps to continue his work. "I will not go with you Naruto. Pick someone else." Sakura glared at him, but chose to keep her words to herself. She was tired of being around the Kazekage, and really just wanted to finish the mission.

"But you owe me." The blonde stated.

This actually made Gaara stop. "Owe you for what?" he asked, glancing back curiously.

A suggestive smile made its way to Naruto's face. "You remember that one time I had to bring you lotion and some underwear? You know, when you got stuck trying to-"

Gaara was beside Naruto in an instant, covering the loud ninja's mouth with his hand. "Yes ok! Be quiet." He glared, daring Naruto to say anymore. "Fine. I will go with you. But _only_ because I owe you one."

A wide smile could be seen on the fox boy's face behind Gaara's hand. Sakura gave them a suspicious look, as she tried to figure out what exactly it was that Naruto had helped Gaara with. It sounded very suspicious to her.

"Then we should head out. The Tsuchikage has been missing for four days now, and the sooner we retrieve him, the better." Kakashi said.

Sai just smiled his normal smile. "What did Naruto help you with Kazekage-sama, rubbing your small penis?"

Both men glared over at him, making the smile only grow on his face. "Sick bastard." Naruto said.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Hm, one never knows. Especially when one of you doesn't show any interest in women and the other completely ignores the woman who confessed her love to them."

"I do not show interest because they are all useless." Gaara said, defending himself.

Sakura made a sound of offense. "We are not. Are we Temari?" she asked, looking to her friend.

"I wasn't taking about Temari." Gaara corrected her, giving her a glance and a small once over. "She is my sister, of course I would show no interest in her. She is an outstanding ninja. Unlike present company."

Temari just blinked and then intercepted her pink haired friend before she could get her gloved hands wrapped around the Kazekage's throat. "Calm down Sakura! Breathe." She said quickly.

"Hmph. I would breathe easier if this prick could take the stick out of his ass." She growled, halting her attack and crossing her arms.

Before anything more could be said, Kakashi stepped forward. "Alright, that's enough. Kazekage-sama, we will meet you at the gates in twenty minutes. That should give you time to get your things together, and for Sakura to cool off."

"I don't need time to cool off, I'm perfectly fine." The pink haired woman said tersely, her foot-tapping a clear sign that she was still upset over Gaara's comment. She hated being called useless and annoying. And already in five minutes the redhead had called her both.

"Sounds fine to me." He gave Kakashi a respectful nod. He glanced back at Sakura. "Try not to let your PMS anger out on my village, I know you have that odd strength and I would rather you not go bursting through walls because you can't keep a handle on your emotions." He smirked, disappearing up the steps.

Sakura let out an angry growl and headed out the front door, mumbling things about stupid redheads the whole way. The rest of the team followed her at a distance, none of the men wanting to be in punching range. When they reached the gates, Sakura crossed her arms and looked out across the desert, scowling at the sand. He just thought he was so great, just because he was the Kazekage. Well she would prove him wrong. She would show him just how 'useless' she was on this mission. She'd had to deal with years of being called annoying by Sasuke, and feeling useless while he and Naruto continued to get better. She would show them all.

"Sakura, if this mission is going to succeed, you need to be nicer to Gaara." Kakashi said, standing beside her.

She let out a sigh. "I know, I'm sorry. But no promises." She said, glancing up at her teacher, who had pulled out his book to read.

Sai gave Sakura a friendly smile, well to him it seemed friendly, but it looked menacing. "Well Sakura, maybe you could give his penis a treatment and he would like you better."

"What? I would never! Even if he asked me." She stated.

Naruto came up then. "That's just wrong Sai. If Sakura-chan were to do anything like that, it would have to be to someone she knows really well." He said with a nod. A blush began to make its way up her face as she grew embarrassed with the turn of conversation.

"Well then it wouldn't be you, because you have a small penis. And I read in a book once that women appreciate men who are well endowed." The ebony haired man said.

"Will you shut up about my penis?" Naruto yelled, attempting to tackle Sai to the ground in order to strangle him. He just side-stepped the blonde, causing him to hit the ground. Then Sai stepped on Naruto's head, pinning him against the sand as he began to recite the proper way to execute a surprise attack. Kakashi just continued to read his book, while Sakura rubbed the bridge of her nose in exasperation. This was the sight that greeted Gaara when he arrived at the gates.

Gaara arched a brow when he stopped. "What on earth are you doing Naruto?" he asked, now dressed in his normal red attire. He had his gourd on his back, along with a knapsack that held all the things he would need.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Sakura said, lowering her hand and looking over at him.

"Probably not," he frowned and sighed, crossing his arms. "Well I have informed the council and my sister about my absence. Unfortunately they think it is a wonderful idea for me to go and save the useless Tsuchikage. So I am having Temari looked after Suna in my absence."

Sai smiled, "Well aren't you a big boy."

The red head glared at him. "Really? Am I really going to have to deal with this the entire mission?"

"Try dealing with it all the time." Kakashi sighed and started off, stuffing a hand in his pocket and continuing to read his dirty book.

"Just wait until he gives you nickname. Then you're part of the club." Sakura said unenthusiastically, following the silver haired Jounin.

Gaara just looked to the odd two and continued after the Sakura. "What's your nick name?" he asked coming up beside her.

"Ugly." She told him, somewhat begrudgingly. How she hated that name. "But it's not as bad as Naruto's." He thought about her nickname, not fully understanding it. She wasn't ugly, he had always found Sakura pretty. Well as pretty as a girl could be to him. But he decided to keep the comment to himself.

"What's Naruto's?"

She smirked slightly and turned to look at him. "Dickless."

He actually had to hold in a laugh, but it was difficult. "It's not _that_ small." He tried to defend his friend without chuckling, but it was obvious he was trying to hide it.

Her smirk turned into a smile. "True, but you have to admit that it is smaller than a normal one."

He nodded, admitting that it truly was. "It's nothing to be compared to that's for sure." Then he paused, looking a bit perplexed. "Wait, you've seen it?" he asked, raising what could be a brow.

Sakura shrugged. "Eh, when you travel with someone since you were twelve, especially people with no modesty, you see things, even if you don't want to."

"Touché." He said with a small sigh, they were almost out of the gates by the time the other two of Team Kakashi joined them.

"Sakura-chan, please inform Sai that I refuse to talk to him until he admits that you would agree to kiss me way before you even thought about treating Gaara's penis." Naruto said, crossing his arms in a pout.

"Excuse me?" Gaara asked, going a bit wide eyed.

Sakura smacked her forehead and let out a groan, a dark blush covering her cheeks. She couldn't believe those two were still arguing about that, or that he had brought it up in front of Gaara. "Naruto, please inform yourself and Sai, that if you don't knock it off, I will kill you both in your sleep and make it look like an accident. I'll even make sure your final moments are painful." She threatened, causing the blonde to gulp and back away slightly.

Sai just smiled at her. "I read a book once that said 'Girls are only mean to the boys they like.' Which must mean you really, really like Naruto." He pointed out, laughing a bit.

"Sai, if everything you read in those stupid books were true, the world would be a lot simpler. Suffice it to say, I would rather burn in hell before ever liking Naruto." She said, causing a look of offense to come to the blonde's face.

"So you like Gaara then, since you were rude to him earlier." The pale man said.

"Will you just stop talking? Please, for five minutes, just keep your comments to yourself." She said, the blush still on her face.

Gaara just smirked, walking ahead with Kakashi who looked as if he were about to snap. "Such an interesting team you have Kakashi."

"I'm never bored, that's for sure." The older man commented. "The next few days as we go to Waterfall prove to be interesting enough."

"Oh?" Gaara looked at him curiously. "And what makes you say that?"

"Nothing really. It just seems that your presence only adds to the bickering. Naruto is glad you are here and will be more talkative, Sai will try and figure out how your relationship works with everyone and compare some of your behavior to what he's read in a book, along with giving you a nickname, and Sakura, well, that all just depends." He said, smiling under his mask and giving the redhead a sideways look over his book.

The red head's eyes widened a fraction. "Depends on what?"

"Many things. What is said between Naruto and Sai, your actions towards her, things like that. You know how women are with their emotions, especially Sakura. And the worst part with her is, sometimes, her reaction is the complete opposite of what you thought it would be." Kakashi said, his gaze returning to his book.

Gaara rolled his eyes, glancing back at the pink haired girl who was threatening both the other males now. "That makes no sense and is unnecessarily confusing."

"Eh, so are women." The Jounin turned a page in his book. "But I'm sure she'll be pleasant enough. Out of all my students, she's the only one who has any common sense."

"I see." He faced forward then and looked out on the desert that was rightfully his. "Well, I guess we will just have to find out." He smirked.


	2. Pit Stop

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Two_

-Pit Stop-

"We're stopping?" Gaara groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was so not ideal. He could have been to Waterfall and back by now. Unfortunately, he could not just use his sand to transport himself to their destination because the others were with him. He sighed. This mission was turning out to be just as awful as he thought it would be. He had had to go through Naruto singing gay show tunes and man was that annoying. Sai had gotten uncomfortably close to him and started talking about odd sexual acts between a man and a woman and how they were supposed to act. And as if the trip couldn't get _more_ uncomfortable, Sakura, in an attempt to hit Sai in the face for an 'Ugly' comment, missed and stumbled onto him, forcing his arms to go and catch her in reflex. Unfortunately what his hands had secured upon was her firm behind.

He sighed, rubbing his cheek where Sakura had smacked him. It wasn't even his fault, he was just trying to help her and she hit him. It's not like he wanted to feel her ass anyways. It had even been so powerful that he could feel it through his sand armor.

"Yes." Kakashi said, lowering his book. "It's getting late and we do need to rest. A tired ninja is a useless ninja." He said, holding a finger up. "Because without sleep we ninja would have…no…" he trailed off, seeing every word was getting a more threatening and annoyed look from the Kazekage. "Well. Most of us need sleep." He corrected himself and then turned his back to his group, heading into the village.

"Sakura, you can handle getting us the rooms, right?" Kakashi asked, glancing over at the pink haired woman from his book.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't I always?" The silver haired man just nodded, returning to his smutty pages.

"Can I go too? Huh Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, growing excited.

"No."

"Oh come on!" he declared, crossing his arms in a huff. "Pervy Sage took me to those things all the time! It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Gaara looked over at his friend with a slightly horrified expression. "That's disgusting Naruto, and so degrading. Besides aren't you in some sort of…thing…with that Hyuuga girl?"

"Not really. I mean, it's all very complicated." The blonde said, scratching his head.

"What's complicated about it? Hinata has been in love with you since we were children, used to follow you around, saved your life and confessed her love, and now you avoid her. Seems like you're just being a jerk to me." Sakura commented.

"You avoid her?" Gaara asked, seeming to take Sakura's side.

"Like the plague." Sai added.

"That's messed up Naruto." The redhead shook his head, looking disappointed.

"Yeah, well what am I supposed to tell Hinata-chan? I don't know what to say to that." Naruto said, trying to defend himself. Sakura just shook her head. Trying to change the conversation topic from himself, the blonde looked over at Sai. "You can come too Sai. I bet you'll learn tones of stuff about the opposite sex and how people interact with them." He said, giving the ebony haired man a suggestive look.

This actually seemed to spark the odd man's interest. "That's a fantastic idea. Research and up close and personal. Kakashi, wait for us." He called after the silver haired man, who had already started off, since the sun was now setting and the sky was a dark orange. The lights of the town were starting to ignite with the diminishing sun and people started to crowd, heading for dinner.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Naruto called out, running after the two.

"Well I guess it's just you and me." Sakura sighed, looking over at Gaara.

He glanced down at her and nodded. "I guess so. Well…do you want to check in and get something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me. Usually I'm left by myself when we go on missions." She said.

They headed towards the hotel and checked in quickly. The two walked out into the busy streets of the town, there were actually a lot of people in this small area. "Where do you want to eat?" Gaara asked, scratching his head and looking around at the different restaurants.

"Um…" she glanced around, trying to see which restaurant appeared to be the most appetizing. "What about that one?" she asked, pointing across the street to a quaint little café.

"I'd much prefer some sushi." He countered, pointing off in another direction.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" she asked with a small smile, beginning to head towards the sushi place. He followed her wordlessly and they were sat down at a table for two. He picked up the menu and skimmed over the things they had to offer, not really noticing the stares that were being sent their way.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, focusing her gaze on the menu. She hated it when people stared at her, it made her feel self-conscious. Finally finding something that sounded appealing, she set down her menu and began to tap her fingers on the table. "Why are you so fidgety?" Gaara asked without even looking up from his menu.

"I hate it when people stare at me." She said, glancing around the place before training her gaze back on the table. She stopped, tapping her fingers and clasped her hands together in her lap. "I can stop if it's bothering you."

"No you can't." he sighed, finally looking around. "Why don't you just ask why they are staring and then tell them to stop?"

She blinked at him. "Well…because…it's embarrassing."

"Why?"

"Well, I don't know. But I don't want to ask, what if the reason they are staring is embarrassing?" she said, shifting once more.

He rolled his eyes and called over to one of the passing waitresses. She came over and kneeled down to them. "Yes sir? How can I help you?" she asked, going wide eyed when she got a good glimpse of him. "Oh Kazekage-sama! Anything, what is it you need?"

He cleared his throat and glanced at Sakura before looking back at the woman. "Would you please find out why we are attracting so much attention?"

The woman glanced around and noticed the stares as well. "Of course." She straightened up and went over to a few people talking to them for a few moments before coming back. "Well…" she blushed a bit, looking between the two. "Some are surprised the Kazekage actually has a girlfriend, and others are wondering how Haruno Sakura and the Kazekage got together."

Gaara went a bit wide eyed. "What?"

"Oh, well, I suppose that makes sense." Sakura said, understanding why some would come to that conclusion. "But we're not on a date or anything like that. We're just friends." She told the woman.

"Oh I see." She nodded, understanding. "Well, have you both decided what you wanted to eat?"

Sakura smiled and nodded, handing the waitress her menu and ordering a tempura roll. Gaara just sighed, getting himself some yakisoba. After taking their orders she left and came back with their drinks, assuring their food would arrive shortly. When she was gone, the redhead leaned back in his chair and gave her a once over. "So…how's Konoha…?"

"Pretty good. We've just completed the last restorations on the village. Shishou even had them restore the Uchiha District and add a memorial for everyone who died in that massacre." She told him, twirling her straw in her glass. "And I'm pretty sure Naruto is going to undertake training to become Hokage soon, once the Elders are convinced he's ready. But don't tell him, or he'll make a fuss. You know how he gets." She smiled slightly.

He nodded, "Yes. I do know how he fusses." It was then that the waitress returned, setting their plates in front of them and offering them chopsticks.

"Enjoy." She smiled, leaving them once more. Gaara broke apart his chopsticks and began twisting up the noodles, eating silently.

"So…how have things been in Suna lately? Temari had mentioned that you'd been really busy, but I didn't get to hear more before Naruto dragged us off to see you." Sakura asked, taking a bite of her food.

He gave a small shrug. "I'm just tired is all…without Shukaku, insomnia is wearing on me."

"I could try and work on something to help you sleep better, if you want." She offered, taking a sip of her water.

"My medics have tried everything." He said simply, grabbing another bulk of the noodles. "Nothing works. Not aphrodisiacs, not pills, I can't even be forced into unconsciousness. I've slept a couple times, but it's only every couple of weeks." Then he stopped, looking slightly perplexed. He had actually just spoken a lot and the thought made him uncomfortable, so he remained silent once more.

"That's interesting. Did they try any of the natural medicines? Perhaps if I saw the methods they used and went over them I might be able to come up with something." She tapped her chin with her chop sticks, looking thoughtful. Then a small blush came to her face as she realized she had entered medic mode. "Sorry." She said. She couldn't help it, when talking about medicine she got really excited, because it was her passion. And the thought of solving the mystery of Gaara's sleep problem excited her.

He stayed quiet, giving her a considering look before continuing to eat. The rest of the meal consisted of Sakura talking about odd things and Gaara listening, since he had shut down, unknown to the pink haired medic. The waitress came back and flashed them both a smile. "Well is that going to be all? Would you like any dessert? We have fried ice cream."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "No thank you. But if you have any regular ice cream, that would be great." She said, her look of distaste sliding into a friendly smile.

"Fried ice cream is delicious." He assured her, shooing the waitress away and ordering some of the treat.

"I've never had it before." She admitted. "I just figured it was safe to stick with what I know."

Gaara gave her a skeptical look. "If you don't try anything new how do you know for sure if you don't like it?"

"I try new things." She said defensively. "But, what if I ordered the fried ice cream and didn't like it? Then it would just be a waste. Better to try some of yours to be on the safe side, unless you're weird about sharing."

He sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "Sakura…you share fried ice cream. You don't just eat it by yourself."

"Oh." She said, an embarrassed blush making its way across her visage. He smirked, trying to hold in a laugh and glanced up when the waitress brought back their dessert. She set the fried ice cream between the two, it was vanilla ice cream wrapped in tempura and drizzled with chocolate. It was cut to look like a sushi roll. Gaara picked up his chop sticks and took hold of one popping it in his mouth and chewing carefully so he didn't get a brain freeze.

Sakura mimicked the redhead's actions, a surprised look coming to her face as the flavor of the ice cream exploded in her mouth. "This is really good!" she exclaimed happily, smiling.

"I told you," he pointed at her with his chopsticks and went for another one, placing it in his mouth. "Don't knock it till you try it."

She pointed her chopsticks right back at him, a delicate brow raised. "Now don't go and start thinking that you're right all the time just because of this. There is nothing wrong with being skeptical." She teased with a smile, taking another bite.

He actually let out a small chuckle. "I'm the Kazekage. I am _always_ right."

Sakura snorted. "You just keep on lying to yourself like that and see where it gets you."

The red head watched her carefully, slightly impressed with her vigor. "Just make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew Sakura." He warned and just as the words left his mouth she bit into the ice cream and winced, holding her head.

"Ow, ow, ow! Brain freeze!"

He laughed, slamming his hand on the table and then going wide eyed at the fact he had actually laughed out loud. That was only supposed to be in his head. Sakura peeked at him, frowning slightly. "It's not funny!" she said in a child-like way, sticking her tongue out at him. Gaara just looked at her with a wide smirk.

"Oh it's funny alright." He chuckled. "Just put your tongue to the roof of your mouth."

She did as she was told, but refused to acknowledge that he was again, correct. When the brain freeze passed, she looked at Gaara, placing her chin in her hand as she leaned on the table. "And don't think that in my moment of pain I didn't hear you laugh. I'm so telling Naruto, by the way." She smirked slightly. His whole body went rigid and his soft pale gaze turned into a fierce glare.

"Tell him and you die." He said seriously. "Don't make me regret actually trying to be human around you."

She frowned and crossed her arms in a pout. The idea of holding something over the annoying blonde's head had appealed to her greatly, as she enjoyed tormenting him every so often. But, she actually liked getting to see a different side of Gaara a lot more than that, and so would respect his wishes, although he didn't have to be such a jerk about it. "Spoilsport." She muttered.

"Eh," he shrugged, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. "You know me." He said simply, taking the check as the waitress set it down and paying for their meal. "Come on." He said, getting up and waiting for her to join him. She rose as well and they left the establishment, looking around the street at the stores. "Well what do you want to do now? I don't think that they will be done for a while."

"They probably won't be back until around midnight, and more than likely Naruto will be a pain in the ass to get up." She said, looking around. "We could just walk around the village. I've never gotten to before."

"Alright," he stepped aside and allowed her to take the lead. "Where ever you want to go, I don't really care."

She headed in the direction the shopping district appeared to be, wanting to see the different items made here. Not one for silence, she spoke up. "So, what do you ever do for fun? Or do you work all the time?" she looked up at him inquisitively.

He glanced over at her, from a small vendor who was selling handmade bracelets. "Oh…I work all the time." He nodded, ending his answer there since it was more than enough information.

"I thought so. Do you like being the Kazekage? I mean, is it everything you thought it'd be?" she asked, reaching a hand out to touch some silk that was on display at a scarf stall. He stood behind her, looking over her head at the colors.

"It's…different. Much, much…better." He said softly, staring off.

She smiled slightly, flicking some beads that were dangling off of an emerald green scarf that would usually be worn by a belly dancer. "Shishou always complains about the paperwork, and usually gets me or Shizune to do it."

"That's because she's a lazy old hag." Gaara said, rolling his eyes at the thought of the drunkard and walking over to another vendor who was offering things made of crystal. He picked one up that was shaped like a flower and examine the complexity.

Sakura followed him. "True enough, but she's still a great Hokage." She looked at the other items in the stand and then at the flower he was holding. "Pretty." She commented, moving off to look at a book stall. He placed it back down and followed her, simply looking around at all the things the small village had to offer. Finally, it started to get pretty late and the red head glanced back at his temporary companion.

"We should probably get back."

"Yeah." She sighed, heading with him back to the hotel. When they went upstairs to their separate rooms, Sakura already knew that the rest of her team was still traipsing about town. Looking down the hall, she made eye contact with Gaara, and gave him a small smile. "Goodnight." She murmured, opening the door to her room.

"Night." he waved turning his back to her. She watched him and grew a bit confused when he passed the room he and the other guys were sharing and continued down the hall. He pushed through a door with a sign above it that read 'stairs'.

It was then Sakura remembered that he said he never slept, and figured he was going to go look out over the village. Part of her wanted to go with him, just to keep him company, but unlike Gaara, she required sleep in order to function properly the next day. She smiled slightly to herself as she entered her room and shut the door. Perhaps the stick up his butt wasn't as big as she thought it was.


	3. Camp

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Three_

-Camp-

"Okay Team, this is where we're going to camp for the night." Kakashi announced, setting down his pack. Naruto let out a groan.

"But Kakashi-sensei, it's not even dark yet! Can't we keep going?" the blonde whined.

Sakura let out a small sigh. "Naruto, stop complaining. This is the perfect place to make camp. It is near a clean source of water, we have an open space to fit everybody, and it will be dark soon, so there's no point in continuing on and blindly searching for a suitable campsite." She explained.

He blinked and nodded slightly in understanding, though it was clear to everyone else he was confused. Sakura just rolled her eyes and took her bag off, beginning to take out her tent and set it up. Then Naruto perked up. "Hey Gaara! You wanna go off and spar? I bet I can totally kick your ass." He challenged with a huge grin.

The redhead glanced up at his friend and then to his already made tent. "Um, I guess...I was going to try and bathe, but I suppose I can do that after." he shrugged, unbuckling his vest and then pulling off his shirt to reveal his toned chest. Sai was the first one to say something.

"I thought you were a defensive and long range fighter."

Gaara gave him an annoyed look, "I am, but since when does that mean I can't know taijutsu?"

Sai just thought for a moment. "Touché."

Sakura looked up from her tent in order to add to the conversation, but stopped when she saw Gaara without a shirt on. It wasn't like she had never seen a shirtless boy before, heck, she'd even seen Sasuke shirtless, but there was something different about the redhead. He was more sculpted and lean, and she had a feeling that if she were to touch his skin not a scar or bump would be found, unless it was put there by the stoic redhead himself. Blushing at her train of thought, she returned to her task with vigor, fumbling slightly with the last stake that had to be put into the ground.

"I'm going to go and get some firewood and see if I can't catch anything for our dinner tonight." Kakashi said, walking off into the woods without waiting for a response.

Finally finished with her tent, Sakura picked up her bag. "Well while you two spar, I'm going to bathe." She announced.

"What should I do?" Sai asked, blinking. His book was unclear as to what should be done when everyone else makes plans that do not need a second or third person.

The pink haired woman rolled her eyes. "Watch Gaara and Naruto spar I suppose. You can presume that the winner is the one who is better endowed, since figuring that out has been your goal for the entire trip." She said sarcastically.

Gaara cleared his throat, holding Naruto at bay with his sand, who was already trying to attack the redhead. "Sakura it isn't safe to go off by yourself. I'll go with you to make sure nothing happens."

"Or I could go." Sai smiled, "I could always use the research."

Her eye twitched. She didn't like being accused of being weak, which was what she felt Gaara was doing through his comment. But, because Gaara was the one who said it, she knew Naruto would hound her if she refused, and she didn't have the energy to beat up and yell at the three men. "Didn't you get plenty of research in the Red Lights District at that village?" she asked tersely.

"Yes, but in the books it says that it is much more intimate when it is with someone you know. And you and I are close, aren't we Ugly?" he said, his stupid grin only growing. Gaara hit him over the head, giving him a small glare.

"Shut up, will you?" he said sharply, walking towards Sakura and looking down at her. "It's not that I think you are weak," he told her, already knowing her train of thought, since she only scolded him every five minutes about how he was underestimating her. Which he didn't understand, because he never said anything of the sort. "It's just that while you are bathing, would it not be more relaxing if you didn't have to worry if five men popped out of nowhere?"

She looked up at him and her gaze narrowed. "So long as you don't get any ideas." She said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Naruto snickered and put his arm around his teammate's shoulders, shaking her playfully. "Come on Sakura-chan, this is Gaara we're talking about, not me. He'll probably just ignore your presence and impatiently wait for you to finish." This caused her to frown slightly, picturing it in her head. How strange. She didn't want him to look at her while she was bathing, but the thought that he wouldn't even be tempted lowered her self esteem slightly. She had never really thought herself to be extremely attractive or beautiful, but enough so to get a reaction from any red blooded male.

Gaara gave Naruto a glance before focusing on Sakura's emerald gaze. "I assure you that I will give you the fullest amount of privacy. I have no hidden motive."

"Which means, in fact, you are ugly." Sai interjected.

Hurt flashed across Sakura's face, until Gaara spoke up. "I didn't say that." He glared at the other man. "Is it so unrealistic that I would respect a woman's privacy?"

"Fine, whatever." She said, shoving Naruto's arm off of her. She was tired of the conversation already and wanted it to be dropped. "You and Naruto can spar first, if you want though. There are other things I can do to occupy my time."

"You're not going to write in that book with that alien language are you?" Naruto asked, giving her a look of suspicion mixed with dislike.

She rolled her eyes. "It's my medical journal, and it's not alien language, it's cursive. Everyone uses it."

"Do not." The blonde said, crossing his arms.

"I use it." Gaara said simply.

"Me too." Sai nodded.

Naruto grew slightly red in embarrassment. So he opted to try and insult them in an attempt to cover up his ignorance. "Oh yeah? Well, the people who use this so called 'cursive' are freaks. You three are perfect examples. Sai, you can't really show emotion and have a strange obsession with body parts. Gaara, well, you're psychotic and don't show emotion either. And Sakura-chan, you have anger problems and pink hair! I mean look at it! Who has pink hair? It's…just…weird…" his rant died down and he began to back away as Sakura advanced slowly towards him, a sadistic look in her eyes.

"Naruto…" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, placing her hand on his shoulder, causing him to flinch. "I will not deny that _occasionally_ my temper gets out of hand, but nobody, and I mean _nobody_, talks about my hair." She gripped his shoulder painfully then, an audible crack being heard.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry Sakura-chan! I take it back, you have lovely hair!" Naruto whined, desperate to get her to release his now throbbing shoulder.

She released the blonde and crossed her arms in a huff. "And don't you forget it."

"Well, not that this isn't going anywhere good or anything, but Sakura, why don't we leave?" he gestured towards a small path.

"Oh no!" Naruto pointed a finger at Gaara. "We are sparring first!"

The redhead sighed. "Fine." He looked back to Sakura, "This will only take a moment." He said walking toward his friend. Naruto charged at him, pulling his fist back. When he attempted a hit, Gaara dodged to the side and grabbed the blonde's wrist, twisting it skillfully and successfully locking his arm and forcing him to the ground. "There. I win. Spar over." He released Naruto, who was now holding his pained wrist.

"OW! What the hell Gaara?"

"Let's go." He said with a sigh, gesturing for Sakura to follow him.

"Nice one." She snickered, picking up her pack and walking with him towards the river.

He just smirked and crossed his arms. "I know."

They reached the river, and before she even had to say anything Gaara walked off towards a large boulder somewhat near the river but not too close, and faced away from her as he sat down. Pushing down the feeling of awkwardness, since she'd never had anyone watch over her while she bathed before, she glanced around the area before quickly undressing and submerging herself in the flowing water. She gasped slightly at the feeling of the cold water washing over her skin, but quickly grew used to it and ducked under the water to wet her hair. Grabbing her bottle of shampoo from her pack that was on the riverbank, she massaged it into her scalp. Peeking up at the redhead to make sure he was still facing in the same direction, she began to hum, something she did when silence was just too much. And talking to him would be kind of weird.

Not too much longer she was done bathing, and she quickly got out and dried herself off. She pulled out her spare change of clothes, having washed the ones she was wearing while she was bathing. "I'm finished." She announced, shoving her toiletries back in her bag. He stood without a word and glanced back slowly, as if she still might be indecent.

He dropped down from the boulder and gave her a tiny hint of a smile. "See, now was that so bad?"

"Yeah, yeah." she said with an easy smile and a roll of her eyes, throwing her pack over her shoulder.

"Well you can go ahead and head back, and tell Naruto and the freak they can come. I think I'm going to try and get at least a minute with myself." He said, waving her off.

She nodded and turned back into the forest, successfully hiding her smirk. She had a feeling that Gaara would regret telling her to inform the other two that they could join him in the river. Because if he thought Sai was weird now, just wait until you bathe with the guy. She had heard plenty of stories from Naruto on the matter, and had witnessed one herself, on the other side of a shoji screen at a hot spring when their impromptu team had first gotten together with Captain Yamato all those years ago. Oh well, part of her felt no remorse for the torture the redhead was sure to go through.

She entered the campsite and began to put up a clothesline to hang her wet garments on. "You two can head over to the river to bathe now. That's what Gaara's doing." She said, hanging up her clothes. "And wash your clothes so that I don't have to smell you on the way back. I'll even dry them for you."

"Aw, I hate doing laundry!" Naruto whined, picking up his things and heading off.

Sai did the same, following the blonde. "Now I will finally be able to see if the Kazekage does in fact have a small dick."

"No penis looking!" Naruto yelled back at him as they disappeared through the brush.

Sakura chuckled to herself, finished with her clothes. Kakashi came back shortly after, quickly making a fire and skinning a few rabbits he had caught, intending on making a stew. She took out her medical book from her pack and began to make notes in it on Gaara's sleeping disorder, and the things she knew about it. Even thought he hadn't asked or given her permission, she wanted to help him. Unbeknownst to the redhead, she was waiting for an opportunity for him to actually fall asleep, so that she could observe him. The two worked in silence, enjoying the absence of the other two members of their team for once.

It wasn't long after that that loud, obnoxious laughter could be heard, and both Sakura and Kakashi looked up from their tasks, confusion and curiosity marring their brows. When the three emerged it was Gaara who came first. He had a scowl on his face, and his hair was still wet from the river. Sakura was about to mutter a retort, but when Sai entered the clearing, it was he who was laughing, causing her to silence herself. Naruto just growled angrily, his arms crossed over his chest.

"My goodness Gaara, I just cannot believe it!"

"Will you please shut up." The redhead said, almost sounding as if he were begging.

"Sakura, Sakura." Sai called out to her, stopping and smiling. "Now you see I thought all Jinchuuriki were small like Naruto here, but our Kazekage has a very nice package."

"Sai!" Gaara actually shouted, a slight hint of a blush on his face. "Shut up!"

Taking pity on the redhead, Sakura raised a brow and shut her book. "You know Sai, one would think your unusual interest in male genitalia was a clear sign of homosexuality." She commented.

Sai simply shrugged, "Maybe."

Naruto scratched his head, looking confused. "What is genitalia?" he asked, causing everyone to look at him, except Kakashi, who idly stirred the stew, his gaze trained on his orange book.

"Private parts Naruto. Private parts." The silver haired man said.

"I'm going to bed." Gaara growled, walking over to his tent and throwing his things inside. He glared back at Sai. "And stop talking about my dick you queer, it's disturbing and slightly alarming." He pointed threateningly and then disappeared into the folds.

Sakura's brow furrowed slightly. If Gaara slept in a tent, she wouldn't be able to completely observe him. The only knowledge she would gain would be changes in his chakra or any noises he might make. Oh well, she thought with a shrug, getting up and pouring herself a bowl of stew. Anything was better than nothing.

The other members of Team Kakashi did the same, and the group chatted about everything and nothing, as they usually did. To any outsider, the camaraderie between the group was clearly tangible, despite the occasional quarrels. Sakura volunteered to take the first watch, and situated herself on a branch that over looked the entire camp. She began to scrawl in her medical journal, humming softly to herself. It was something she usually did when on watch, and none of her teammates complained of it, for in actuality it helped lull them to sleep. She paused in her writings, looking up to the stars. They would reach Waterfall soon, and their mission would be over. She was glad, because being around so many strange, irritating males for so long began to wear on her, but a small part of her was sad. Not wanting to explore the feeling, she returned to her book. Facts, after all, were easier to understand than feelings.


	4. Teamwork

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Four_

-Teamwork-

Kakashi paused in his step and glanced up from his book, causing the rest of the group to halt as well, looking at him inquiringly. "It appears, that we are being followed." He commented, continuing on his way so as to not cause their pursuers to grow suspicious.

"How many?" Sakura asked, pulling on her gloves discreetly.

His gaze remained trained on the pages before him. "There are two groups. One of ten, and the other of eight. They have been following us since we stopped for that bathroom break."

"Guess that means they saw your small penis Naruto." Sai snickered.

"Will you shut up?" the blonde yelled, irate.

Gaara just sighed, he didn't need to prepare. He was always ready. He kept his gaze forward. "What do you want us to do Kakashi? I could always disappear and create a sneak attack. It would at least throw them off. I can take one of you with me."

"Take Sakura." He said, turning a page. "The two of you can intercept the group of ten. They are about fifteen kilometers northwest of our current location. Naruto, Sai, and I will deal with the group of eight, who are currently close enough to see us but not hear us, and then we'll just meet up." Then he looked at the two. "Try to make it look like you're sneaking off for alone time or something so they don't get suspicious and warn the other group."

Sakura held in a sigh. She was always used for things like this, just because she was a woman. It got pretty tiring after a while, since usually she never really got to do anything but act like a slut.

The redhead nodded and without waiting for affirmation, scooped Sakura into his arms bridal style and headed off to the side. He held her closely, making sure he played the part of lover through and through. He lowered his head, placing his lips by her ears. "Try and relax, you're so obviously uncomfortable." He smirked, keeping his head by hers.

Without missing a beat Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her front against him, loosening up. "Well you just picked me up so suddenly I had no time to prepare myself." She said in his ear, although he could feel her smile.

Finally, after they were far enough off and they could feel the other group coming towards them, he set her down and cupped her face with his hands, pressing his forehead against hers. "And now we play the waiting game." He said, his breath mingling with her own.

She exhaled in the form of a sigh, wrapping her arms back around him so that they appeared to be more intimate. "I hate this game." She joked. "Even though I always win." He smirked and stayed silent after that, trying not to let on how uncomfortable he was. But it wasn't awkward for some reason, which puzzled him. Maybe he had gotten to actually liking Sakura as a true friend.

"Yes." He suddenly looked to the side as they were surrounded. He parted from her slowly, glancing around the men. "Don't you men know it's rude to intrude upon lovers while they are being intimate?"

"Well we were gonna wait n' see if you two were gonna fuck each other, figuring a show would be nice, but we got bored." A brunette man said with a perverse gleam in his eyes, stepping forward and placing a hand on the sword he had strapped to his waist.

Sakura scoffed. "How crude. Is it because none of you are comely enough to get laid yourselves?" she taunted, placing her hands on her hips in a haughty manner.

Gaara took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her delicate skin. "Of course it is." He told her, making the rest of them frown and close in. His playful look faded and he gave Sakura a glance. "Be careful."

Another one of the ninja stepped forward. "Now we're going to kill you and take this pretty little thing and rip her insides apart. Fill her up till she explodes." He smirked, making Gaara scowl and glare at him.

"That's it, now I'm angry." Sakura said, sliding her right foot forward and infusing it with chakra. The ground shook slightly, and a large piece of earth jutted up where the second man had been standing. He had just barely managed to jump out of the way, but not before his cheek was sliced open from the tip of the new boulder. "Oops." She smirked.

"Bitch." He muttered, wiping some of the blood from his face.

Gaara glanced around at the others and pulled Sakura closer to him. "Watch yourself, I will defend you so go all out."

"I don't need to be defended, I can handle myself just fine." She said, glaring lightly at him.

He gave her an irritated look and crossed his arms. "I didn't say you couldn't defend yourself, will you stop putting words in my mouth?" he glared. "Sakura I am the ultimate defense, what I'm saying, is so you don't have to focus on defending yourself, I will protect you with my sand. So just kill them. Why do you think Kakashi chose you and I? The perfect offense and the perfect defense. Think about it."

A blonde man laughed a nudged his friend, "Aw look, a lover's quarrel." He snickered, signaling for them to charge.

Ignoring the men running at them, Sakura blinked. "Oh. Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense." She had just thought it was because it would be more believable if she and Gaara were the fake lovers instead of Naruto or Sai.

He rolled his eyes and faced away from her, lifting his hands as his sand exploded from his gourd and swarmed around the field, already wrapping around two of the men and ripping them apart into little pieces. Not needing any more of a hint, Sakura charged forward, raising her fist. She hit the ground, causing the same effect as when she had slid her foot, only ten times greater, forcing all of the men to scatter.

She ran forward, punching some of the larger debris out of her way, heading straight for the man whose cheek she had cut. Reaching him, they engaged in a battle of taijutsu. Seeing that their teammate was in need of assistance, one of the other ninjas quickly formed a few hands signs, sending some clones after her. But she had been trained in evasion, and so dodging them was no problem for the pink haired medic.

Two more surrounded her and attacked from behind, allowing her to move nowhere. Just as their attacks were about to connect, a wall of sand rose between them and fended all four off, only keeping their attacks covered and allowing her free movement to do as she pleased. He didn't want her yelling at him again for fighting her battles for her.

Silently thanking the redhead, Sakura embedded her fist into the trunk of a nearby tree. In one swift motion it was uprooted, and she swung it in order to get rid of all the shadow clones that were surrounding her. Tossing the tree aside, she quickly disposed of one of the enemy nin who had been staring in awe at her show of strength. As if her crumbling of the earth wasn't enough.

For the most part she would slip between the rest of them, breaking a bone here, dislocating something there, until most could no longer fight or move effectively. She knew that they needed to be disposed of, but at the moment, her main priority was the crude leader, and so she left the others alone, in case Gaara felt the need to finish them off. Which he did, the ones she left behind he took care of, grinding their bodies into nothing with his sand, not leaving even a trace of blood behind.

When none was left but the leader he stopped and crossed his arms, watching Sakura closely. He would allow her to take him out and was content with watching. The faster this assault was over with, the faster the mission was completed, and the faster he could return to his home in Suna.

The man snarled at her and drew his sword. "I'm going to enjoy killing you." He threatened, circling her.

Sakura drew a kunai and mimicked his actions. "I highly doubt that will happen. It just so happens I landed myself one of those overprotective types." She nodded towards Gaara then.

He let out an angry scream and charged at her, raising the sword high in the air. She straightened and blinked at him. Really? She was no swordsman, but she knew that was not how one handled such a weapon. It appeared that the man only used it for show, and had no real experience in its use. Pity.

She tossed the kunai into the ground and ran to meet him. The thing about her new set of gloves was that they had a protective metal on the back, so she would be able to block weapons with the backs of her hands if needed. Kakashi had suggested she get them, since it could come in handy. As the man swung down to slice her in two, she reached up and stopped his sword, punching it with her other fist and breaking it in half. Before he could register what had happened, she grabbed the broken off tip and embedded it into his neck, causing blood to spurt out across her face diagonally as he fell. He hit the ground with a thud, and gasped for air, before the light slowly left his eyes. Positive that he was dead, Sakura walked back and picked up her discarded kunai.

"Guess we can go meet up with the others now." She said, beginning to wipe away the crimson liquid as if it were nothing but water. Gaara stared at her, a bit wide eyed. Finally snapping from his trance, he cleared his throat and looked off.

"Sakura, do not take this the wrong way or anything but…" he began, making her frown. What? Was he going to tell her how inadequate she was at killing? Because if so, she would have a few choice words to say to that. "That was really…_really_ attractive." He said, shutting his eyes and scratching at his cheek, trying not to let the light blush show.

Her eyes widened at his words, and a blush made its way to her own cheeks. "Oh…um…thanks." She said, scratching the side of her head, the smeared blood on her face forgotten. "Nobody's ever said that to me before."

"Well don't read into it or anything." He said, sounding guarded. "I was merely stating a fact and nothing more. Now let's go." He turned away from her then and started back towards the others, sensing they had finished with the other group.

She huffed, wiping the rest of the blood off her face as she followed him. She hadn't read anything into it at all, and how dare he assume she would? It wasn't like she was one of his fan girls and fainted at the mere thought of being in his presence. What a jerk.

They reached the others, the bodies of the other eight ninja surrounding them. Naruto smiled at the two in a friendly way. "So you guys killed the others, huh?" he said.

"Of course we did. Otherwise we wouldn't have come back here. Now let's go." Sakura said with a light scowl, stalking past everyone and leading the way. She wanted to finish this stupid mission as soon as possible so that she could get away from the irritating redhead.

Naruto gave Gaara an annoyed look. "Man, why can't you go ten minutes without pissing Sakura-chan off?" he asked lowly, so that she wouldn't hear him.

"What? I complimented her and this is the reaction I get. She's the most difficult female I have ever encountered. I'm even trying to be nice." He gave Naruto a hard poke in the chest. "She is ungrateful."

Hearing this, the pink haired woman rounded on them. "Ungrateful? Ungrateful? If I recall correctly, I thanked you. So if that wasn't enough, then I apologize, I shall try again." She bowed dramatically, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Oh thank you, great Kazekage of Suna. This mere ordinary woman has never been graced with such a compliment. Surely, this will keep me ecstatic for days." She said, straightening, an angry glare in place. "Don't read too much into it or anything." She turned and continued down the path, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai looking between the two, completely dumbfounded.

Gaara's jaw dropped, and he stormed after her. "Excuse me you pink harpy?" he yelled after her, making her stop. "For the record, 'Oh, um, yes.' Is a _terrible_ way to say thank you, and second, your sarcasm is noted and has officially pissed me off. What is your deal? I've been trying to be nice to you this whole time, but all you ever do is bite my head off!" he shouted, his glare growing icier.

She turned, their gazes clashing like daggers. "Actually, _for the record_, it was 'Oh, um, _thanks_.'" She said, crossing her arms. "And, maybe if you put half as much effort into being nice as you did being a complete asshole, I wouldn't have to bite your head off. Although I think it's funny you should say that, when I'm the one who was nothing but nice to _you_, until _you_ were rude _first_." She pointed at herself to emphasize her point.

Naruto walked up to them, his hands raised in a placating manner. "Hey, guys, why don't we all just-"

The two turned on him, their glares causing him to stop talking. "Shut up Naruto!" they both yelled, glaring at each other quickly after.

"You were rude to me first you aggravating woman. All you ever think is that someone is belittling you. News flash Sakura, the world doesn't revolve around you!" he snapped back, his sand starting to move, correlating with his emotions.

She clenched her teeth, her hands forming into fists as she slowly began to direct chakra to them. The urge to hit him was strong, but before anything more could happen, Kakashi was between them. "That is enough. Gaara, your behavior is not one of a Kage. And Sakura, you need to stop acting like such a child. I do not want your petty quarreling to jeopardize this mission. Gaara, travel at the front and Sakura the back. Perhaps if we separate you two things will work out better." He ordered.

There was a long, silent battle between the two once more. "Fine." Gaara finally said. "But you better watch out Kakashi. Sakura might PMS about you placing her in the back because she's a woman and isn't fit to lead." He scoffed, walking past her and heading in the direction of Waterfall. Sai continued after him, nudging Sakura along the way.

"I like him." He smiled, jumping to the trees after Gaara.

Naruto placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look, leaping into the trees shortly after. Kakashi looked down at her. "I'm surprised at you Sakura. Usually you behave more professionally."

She looked down in shame. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just, whenever we're both nice to each other and I think we could actually be friends, he goes and says something either rude or offending. And then he acts like a jerk when I get upset about it, making me even more upset. I don't understand why he can't just leave me alone like everyone else does and let me cool off."

"Well, Gaara doesn't know you as well as we do, and therefore doesn't know how best to handle your different moods. He also doesn't really spend time around people outside of work and his siblings, so it's hard for him to deal with people, especially on a personal level, which is how you deal with everything. But getting to know someone takes work, from both sides, so perhaps, if you apologized, things would be better." The silver haired man leapt to the trees then, not leaving Sakura any room for argument.

Sakura sighed and followed behind, thinking about the words of her teacher. He was right, she and Gaara didn't really know each other, and that's partly why they seemed to clash at every turn. And she knew that some of the things she had said were uncalled for, but so were his. She grit her teeth as Kakashi's words rang in her head. If she waited for him to apologize, she would be waiting for the rest of her life. So, the best thing to do would be for her to swallow her pride and do so first.

They travelled in silence for the rest of the day, stopping a few miles outside the village where the Tsuchikage was being kept. They set up camp, everyone going about their own duties wordlessly. Kakashi had already said what needed to be said, Naruto wasn't sure what to say without upsetting either of his friends, and Sai was taking the opportunity to observe what happened in a lover's quarrel.

Gaara had taken a spot up in one of the nearby trees, facing the village they were in infiltrate. He closed his eyes and placed two fingers over his left eye. He held out his hand and felt the sand swirl and form a sphere. He crushed it and it flew off towards the town, trying to seek out the Tsuchikage. It would do well to have at least some idea of where he was and what they were up against.

Once she was done setting up her tent, Sakura looked to the trees and spotted the redhead. Taking a fortifying breath, she walked over and leapt into a branch next to the one he was residing in. "Gaara? Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked softly, fidgeting slightly.

"Not now Sakura." he said darkly, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"I'm sorry." She said, deciding that if she didn't say it now, she probably never would.

He stopped what he was doing and let out a somewhat irritated sigh. "What part about 'Not now' went in one ear and out the other. I'm trying to find the Tsuchikage, and the task takes a lot of concentration."

"Oh, sorry again." She murmured, turning and hopping down from the tree.

He focused back forward and closed his eyes, starting over once more. Sai walked up to her, glancing up at the redhead. "What's he doing?"

"Looking for the Tsuchikage with his sand." She explained.

"Did you guys make up yet?" he asked, studying the other male.

She shook her head. "He's busy, I don't want to bother him."

"Do you like him?"

"Like what?" she asked, slightly confused by his question.

"Like him." Sai blinked, missing where she had gotten confused.

She shook her head. "No, I mean, what type of like are you talking about? Because I only think of us as friends, sort of. I mean, we argue a lot, but…whatever." She shrugged.

"So you like him." He stated, looking back up. "Are you going to have sex with him?"

She gasped. "What the hell gave you that idea? No, I'm not going to have sex with him."

He pulled out one of his books and skimmed through a few pages. "Well in my book it says that when two people argue a lot and bicker, that means they like each other. And that in the heat of the argument, they will stop and begin to make out, and it will lead them down the road of passion." He explained, showing her the page and the illustration.

She began to laugh. "Sai, that only happens in those smutty books Kakashi-sensei reads." She said when she could breathe again.

"I dunno." He sighed, glancing off to the side. "Hello Gaara."

"Hey." The redhead said, standing beside the two of them. "Well I found the Tsuchikage, it won't be too hard to free him. And he's fine, so no rush."

Sakura looked over at Gaara. "So…can we talk now?" she asked, a hint of hope in her voice.

He shifted his gaze down to her and sighed. "I suppose." He said, not really looking forward to having her gripe at him once more.

She shoved Sai away from them, back towards camp. "Go help Naruto before he blows something up."

The pale boy laughed, giving her a small wink. "Oh alright Sakura. I'll 'go help' Naruto." He smirked, walking off and scribbling in the book. Gaara just watched him leave, looking confused.

"Um…what?"

"Apparently because we argue all the time we're going to have sex." She told him with a roll of her eyes. "Anyways, I wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have handled that the way I did. Actually, pretty much all of our arguments I handle poorly, so I apologize for those as well." She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth slightly, awaiting his reaction.

He nodded, crossing his arms with a sigh. "Yeah you were being pretty psycho." He said, glancing down to see her anger beginning to boil. "I mean…um, I forgive you…and I'm sorry too?" he tried not to make it sound like a question, but he really didn't know why he should apologize, even though it felt like it was the right thing to do.

She smiled even though she tried to fight it. His uncertainty when talking to other people was kind of cute. "I forgive you." She said, then let out a sigh. "It's just, usually, when I am upset, Naruto and everyone just leave me alone until I get over it. So when you said something about it, I sort of snapped." She admitted.

"Well you should probably try and better control your temper." He said, not trying to sound smart, it was simply a state of fact.

Knowing what he said was true, since she had heard it from many others before, she gave him an inquisitive look. "How do you control yours? Not that I'm implying you have one or anything, though you do, but it seems like you usually keep all that…contained." She said, hoping her choice of words didn't offend him. She just wasn't exactly sure how to phrase it.

He actually looked a bit amused. "Because if I didn't keep it contained and acted out as you do, you would all be dead by now." He said simply, trying to explain. "My sand correlates with my emotions, so I have to remain in control at all times or else someone will get hurt."

"That makes sense." She nodded. "So, do you do anything to help it?"

"Um…not get angry? I don't know, I guess it's kind of easy when you grow up devoid of emotions." He shrugged, seeming to become a bit fidgety. They were talking a lot now, and it was beginning to make him uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, he just wasn't used to it, and when he wasn't used to things he began to get on the defensive.

"Oh." She said, blinking. Not really the answer she was looking for, but perhaps she could work with that. Maybe if she didn't let the small things anger her it would work out better. Perhaps she needed to research a few anger management methods.

There was an odd silence between the two now. Not knowing what to do he lifted his hand and pat her head awkwardly. "Um well…glad we could make up?" he said, trying to think on his actions and make sure this was the right thing to do. He removed his hand then and walked off to help with the camp and inform Kakashi of his recent discovery.

Sakura shook her head, smiling a bit. He was so weird. Happy that things were now okay between them, at least, that was the impression she got, she walked back to camp, wondering what the next day would bring.


	5. Regrettable Rescue

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Five_

-Regrettable Rescue-

Gaara and Sakura appeared in a swirl of sand in a dark cellar. The redhead looked around, keeping his hand on the small of her back. "Okay, we're at the bottom of the building they are keeping the Tsuchikage in." he told her. The plan was for the other three to attack from the roof, and then they would attack from the basement.

He led her towards the steps and once they reached the top they pressed against the door, trying to listen for any sound. "I can make out two, possibly three people from the sound of the shuffling of their feet. What about you?" Sakura asked in a hushed whisper, looking at him.

"Probably." He agreed. He wrapped his hand around the knob and pushed the door open, running out into the hall with Sakura close behind. A group of three men stopped, going a bit wide eyed at the sudden appearance of the contrasting two.

"What are you two doing in here? This building is off limits to civilians." The one in the center glared, stepping forward.

"Then I guess it's a good thing we are not civilians." Gaara smirked, moving his hands quickly as the sand shot out towards them and slammed them all against the wall. Their final gasps ended quickly as they were crushed against the wall. When the sand returned to its master, they slid down to the floor, leaving blood stains along the white walls.

"Nicely executed. I particularly liked your witty comment." Sakura complimented, heading down the corridor. He followed her, a small smile making its way to his features.

"Well thank you." He said simply, finally walking beside her. Just as they were about to turn a corner he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, moving against the wall. A group of nine passed, not even noticing them. They listened closely, hearing the latest news of the last attempt to crack the Tsuchikage and how they had failed. They crept around the corner, heading in the direction they had just come from.

They came to a heavily bolted door. Sakura grimaced and pulled out a senbon, beginning to pick one of the locks. The redhead watched her for a while, crossing his arms. She bit down on her lower lip, cursing silently as the senbon slid around in the hole. Gaara cleared his throat and sighed. "Sakura…" he said, offering his hand out to her.

She looked up at him inquisitively, until his action dawned upon her. "Oh." She said, standing and placing her hand in his. "Sorry, I forgot." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's ok." He said, and she could already feel the grains tugging at her skin. They disappeared and once they slide beneath the door and into the dungeon they appeared fully.

"About time someone got here!" the old man yapped, making Gaara frown.

"Just be grateful I even came for you Tsuchikage-sama." The redhead said, trying to be respectful.

The old man scoffed. "I should expect nothing from the young punk. You're still wet behind the ears, why don't you go get someone who's got some experience."

Gaara's eye twitched and his hands formed into fists. "Fine. Come on Sakura, you heard him. He wants to be left here." He said, turning away and heading back for the door.

She followed, letting out an audible sigh. "Odd how someone with years of experience is the one who got caught and couldn't escape on their own." She commented idly.

He went wide eyed and shook his head. "Wait! I was only kidding, you better get me out of here or you will suffer the consequences!"

The pink haired woman looked over her shoulder and raised a delicate brow. "What consequences? My village still has their Kage, and Gaara was gracious enough to leave his village and come with us to retrieve you. So unless you apologize to your equal, we will continue on our way."

Gaara glanced down at Sakura and then back at the elder. "Fine." He ground out. "Will you please help free me?" he glared. The Kazekage sighed and gestured for Sakura to go and help him from his chained restraints. She walked over to the old man and grabbed some of the chains. Ripping them apart effortlessly, she continued until he was free.

"There you go Tsuchikage-sama." She said, giving him a friendly smile.

He got up and gave her a small nod. "Thank you, such a pretty young girl has come to my rescue." He smirked, giving her a small pat on the butt. Gaara arched what could be a brow and tried not to laugh at Sakura's reaction. He looked back to the redhead, and was obviously strained. "Thank you Kazekage…I guess."

The younger male's expression feel right off his face and he looked irritated once more. Sakura's glare increased and she crossed her arms. "I know you can do better than that by way of thanks, as was clearly demonstrated a moment ago." She said, raising a brow at the old man.

The elder man scoffed and crossed his arms. Gaara just rolled his eyes and beckoned for Sakura to join him once more. "I do not need his praise Sakura, I have done what I came here to do, now let's get out of here. I would prefer not to have to deal with more enemies."

She walked until she was by his side. "Okay. So how do you wanna ditch this place? Same way we came in, or do you want to make our way up and join the others?"

He shrugged, not really wanting the old man that close to him, but the faster they got out the faster he could be rid of him. The golden grains shoved the Tsuchikage towards them, he wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist and grabbed onto the back of the old man's shirt. "They can meet us back at the camp." He told her, letting the grains pick up and take them back to safety.

When they appeared back at the camp, Gaara let go of the Tsuchikage's shirt, setting the old man away from him. Sakura glanced around, just to make sure they were still alone. "I'll go and check the perimeter." She announced to the two males. "Try to be nice." She whispered to Gaara, giving him a reassuring smile.

He sighed and crossed his arms, remaining silent. "So I see that's your girlfriend. As much as I dislike you boy, you did a good job. That's that Haruno Sakura right? She's a mighty fine catch. Beauty and brains, a hard thing to find." The Tsuchikage snickered making Gaara go a bit wide eyed.

"Sakura is not my girlfriend. That's disgusting. We are friends." He grumbled, glaring off.

Shortly after she left, the other three men arrived. "Hey old man!" Naruto greeted, walking up to the Tsuchikage and slapping his back. "I see they didn't break you in that prison." The blonde smiled happily.

The man fell forward a bit and glared at the blonde. "Yes well. I'm tough just like Iwa. We know how to stick it." He said proudly, making Gaara roll his eyes.

"Well we got him, can we please leave now? I'm tired of-" he stopped immediately, going wide eyed as did the others. "Sakura!" he turned around quickly, taking off into the trees with the others close behind. He disappeared, using his sand to travel faster and appear in front of Sakura just as blast of fire shot towards her. He stumbled back slightly, his sand shield not fully solidifying before it was hit.

"Gaara!" she exclaimed in surprise, having sensed the attack too late and was about to try to dodge it. But she was thankful he had showed up. "Thanks." She said, tightening her gloves as she prepared for another attack behind his sand shield.

He gave her a small glare. "This is kind of far don't you think? Did you really have to go off all the way out here by yourself. I told you it was dangerous to be alone."

She sighed in exasperation. "When I was checking the area I heard a suspicious noise, so I came to check it out." She explained.

"By yourself?" he prompted once more, blocking another attack with his sand.

"Look, I figured it would be okay. If I admit I was in the wrong can we just move on and kill these people already?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

He paused for a moment and glanced at her, "Maybe. Still doesn't change your ignorance."

She sighed once more. "You are insufferable sometimes, you know that?"

"Yes." He said, looking back to the enemy. He blinked and looked around, they were gone. "What in the world?" he asked, jumping back when a girl appeared in front of him aiming a fist at his face.

Out of instinct Sakura did the same, flipping a safe distance away. She was met with the smirking face of a man who looked almost exactly like the woman attacking Gaara, and in that moment she realized they must be twins. "Tsk, tsk, talking when you should be analyzing your situation." The man reprimanded, moving to attack Sakura. She grimaced and dodged, engaging in a taijutsu match with her opponent.

The woman laughed, her voice high and slightly annoying. "Oh my, I get to fight the Kazekage. How exciting. You're much cuter in person," she smiled leaning forward and trying to get a hold on him. He dodged back and swung his leg around in an attempt to kick her, but surprisingly she caught his foot. "Now, now. Be gentle, I'm a lady." She said going wide eyed and just narrowly avoiding the sand.

"Kumo!" she called out to the other who quickly disengaged from his fight with Sakura. He landed next to his sister and they mirrored hand signs, a few more clones appeared and they ran around, hiding the originals.

Gaara cursed, moving closer to Sakura, staying slightly in front of her. "This is all your fault you naïve woman! What did I tell you about wandering off by yourself?"

"You know what? This still would have happened had I gone to get you before checking out the weird noise, so get off my ass." she retorted, sliding into a slightly defensive stance.

He rolled his eyes and readied himself as the clones attacked. It was a mad frenzy, they were fast and they weren't more than just a few look a likes. Gaara kept the ones away from himself with his sand but they seemed to be getting quicker.

Sakura grimaced, barely dodging out of the way. There were just too many to focus on and actually attack, and they seemed to be growing in number. Before Gaara could finally end this with a massive attack from his sand, the male appeared in front of him and slammed his open palm into his stomach. It didn't hurt, due to his sand armor, but he felt something deep within him.

At the same moment the woman was in front of Sakura and mimicked her brother's motion, slamming her hand into the medic's abdomen. They both stumbled back from the impact, and when the redhead and pink haired woman collided, everything went black.


	6. Awakening

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Six_

-Awakening-

Gaara's eyes cracked open and he was met with a blinding fluorescent light. He let out a groan and sat up, feeling a bit odd. He leaned forward and grabbed his head, rubbing his temple trying to get rid of the headache. What had happened? The last thing he could remember was fighting…and then colliding with Sakura.

The other occupant in the room sat forward in his chair, a bright smile coming to his features. "Sakura-chan! You're awake!" the blonde exclaimed, rising from his spot in the only chair in the room and gripping his long-time friend in a fierce hug.

He went wide eyed and shoved the person off him quickly, holding out his hand in order to trap the one who dare attack him. He went a bit wide eyed when he saw it was Naruto, but what surprised him most was the fact his sand did not respond. Actually, he couldn't feel his sand at all. Finally he took in the appearance of his hand. It was delicate and smooth, and very feminine looking. He brought it closer and examined the manicured nails.

Gaara began to breathe harshly, doing his best to keep a reign on this new wave of emotions. He reached up and grabbed onto his hair with both hands, feeling the soft locks. It was much longer than his own, he pulled it a bit and got a glimpse of the soft pink. "Oh….my…GOD!" he screamed, starting to go into a mad panic. "Why do I have pink hair? Where's my sand?" he demanded, looking around the room. His hands pressed against his normally flat chest and he felt something that shot dread through his spine. "WHY DO I HAVE BREASTS?"

Naruto stood and gave his pink haired friend a look of confusion. "Sakura-chan, what are you talking about? You've never been able to control sand, and you've had breasts since we were twelve." He reached up a hand and scratched his head. "Did something happen when you and Gaara were attacked that I don't know about?"

"Why do you keep calling me Sakura?" he glared, the facial expression only capable by the sand master himself. He looked around quickly and found a trey with food on it. It was made of chrome and quickly he grabbed it, dumping all the contents to the floor. He flipped it over and used it as a mirror, another loud shriek coming from his lungs.

What he had expected to see was his own reflection, not Sakura's. "Wh-why…? I don't understand." He stuttered, feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions. He deemed this new feeling thing was due to Sakura's body. He slowly lifted his hand and touched Sakura's face with her own hand, making sure this was reality.

The blonde's eyes widened, and he backed up a bit. "G-Gaara?" he asked incredulously, still slightly skeptical.

"Of course it's me you idiot! Now where is Tsunade! I demand to see her at once and make her fix this!"

Naruto made his way towards the door slowly. "Okay. Just…don't do anything rash." He said, disappearing through the door. A short while later he reappeared, the blonde Hokage on his heels.

"What's this about Sakura?" she asked, looking between the fox boy and what appeared to be her pupil.

"Gaara is in Sakura-chan's body! I don't know if she's in there too or not, but it's freaking me out Baa-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, looking as if he was about to pull his hair out of his head.

"Shut up Naruto! Before I kill you, I don't need my sand to do away with your annoying mouth." Gaara snapped, but the voice the two blondes' heard was Sakura's.

Tsunade walked up to the bedside and closely examined its occupant. "Hm, you look like Sakura. You even sound like her." She said, poking their cheek to see if they were real. "Interesting. Tell me something only Gaara would know." She said, wanting to be sure.

The pink haired girl glared hatefully at Tsunade. "What the hell would I be lying about this for? This isn't fun for me you alcoholic big breasted harpy. Now fix this!"

The blonde's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Yup, only someone as pigheaded as Gaara would dare call me that." She straightened and grabbed her, well she supposed it was his, chart, examining it. "All of your vitals appear to be in order, and there was no trace of poison or a sickness in your system." She informed him.

Gaara just simmered, crossing his arms angrily. He thought for a moment and felt something missing. He pushed the covers to the hospital bed back and started to lift up the gown he was now wearing. Sakura's flawless legs were slowly revealed to him and just before he could see any further Tsunade smacked his hands, making him drop the cloth. "Hey! None of that now. You don't need to be peeking at Sakura's private areas." She scolded like speaking with a child.

"It feels weird! There's nothing there!"

She smirked in a taunting way. "That's because girls don't have a penis Gaara. I figured a man of your age would know this by now." She said, crossing her arms. "Now tell me, what is the last thing you remember happening when you and Sakura were attacked?"

He frowned, deciding not to retort with her previous comment. "Well…" he began, getting control of his panic. "There were these twins and they kept making clones and were everywhere. Then the male slammed his hand into my abs and when I stumbled back, I collided with Sakura and everything turned black."

She nodded, searching her mind for any possible clues. "I don't know off the top of my head what's going on, but it is safe to assume that since you are in Sakura's body, she is in yours. We need to speak to her first and then I'll know where to go from there."

"Hey Baa-chan, where is Gaara's body anyways?' Naruto asked, finally deciding to speak.

Tsunade looked over at him. "The next floor up, in one of our private, more comfortable rooms."

"Great." Gaara rolled his eyes. "The one time I actually use this stupid hospital and I don't even get the perks." He growled, getting out of the bed and grabbing the fresh pair of clothes he'd seen. He went into the bathroom, telling them he would be out in a moment. He stripped off the hospital gown and tried to refrain from looking in the mirror at Sakura's naked body.

He started searching through the clothes and found some under wear, he frown and shivered a bit, pulling them on and the picking up an odd instrument. "Uh…Tsunade!" he called, the blonde came in and went a bit wide eyed at the view. Gaara held up a bra, "How do I put this on?"

The blonde woman smiled slightly. "Here." She said, standing in front of the mirror and taking the bra from him. "Put your arms through the straps, and then reach around and hook it." She instructed, demonstrating how to reach behind you in order to secure the garment.

He watched her actions and then tried to mimic them. Finally he was able to fasten it on. He frowned, looking very unhappy. "This is weird." He grumbled, pulling on the rest of Sakura's normal attire. Once he had fully dressed Sakura's body he walked back out with Tsunade to see Naruto. Gaara stopped, going wide eyed. "Oh my God. We better get there before she wakes up. If she starts to freak out in my body, bad things could happen."

The Jinchuuriki's eyes widened. "Your sand." He said, for once catching on quickly. The three ran from the room then, praying that they made it in time.

* * *

Back in her own room, Sakura was just now waking up. She groaned, rolling over in the sheets and snuggling into them. She could tell by the smell that hit her nostrils upon awakening that she was in the hospital, its scent very familiar to her. So she decided to get some more sleep.

Her brow furrowed. Strange, the sheets usually weren't this soft, nor the bed this comfortable. Opening her eyes, she looked around the room, sitting up in surprise. This was one of the few suites the hospital had, for dignitaries and important people. Touched at her teacher's thoughtfulness and caring, she placed a hand on her chest, only to freeze. Why was it so firm, when it should have been softer?

Looking down, her eyes widened when she saw that she had no breasts. They weren't that big to begin with, but she was still thankful for them. Her other hand came up as she felt her chest, noting the hardened muscles that shouldn't have been there. She then examined her hands, noticing how large they were. They began to shake, as panic started to set in.

She slowly reached up to touch her face, which now had a bigger jaw. Her hands went into her hair, and feeling how short it was, her quick breaths turned to full on hyperventilating. So scared was she, that she failed to notice the grains of sand swarming around her in agitation.

The door opened and a pink haired woman walked in with a stoic expression. "Calm yourself Sakura or you will reduce this building to rubble."

She looked at what appeared to be herself, and her eyes widened. She pointed at her look alike, beginning to stutter incoherently. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming the sand somewhat with her actions. When her eyes opened and she saw that she was still in the same environment, her brow furrowed. Then she reached over and pinched herself. "Why isn't this working?" she asked nobody in particular. In another attempt, she slapped herself on the cheek. When it didn't work, just as the pinching didn't, she pointed at herself. Well, she pointed at what appeared to be herself. "You can't be real, this has to be a dream."

Naruto entered the room then, looking at the occupant in the bed curiously. "It's not a dream Sakura-chan, you and Gaara switched bodies."

Confusion marred her brow, and she touched her face once more. "I'm in Gaara's body?" she asked, looking over at her own body.

Gaara walked forward, stopping beside the bed. It was so weird to look at his own body through another's eyes. But it still sounded like Sakura to him. He didn't hear his voice coming from his mouth, it was Sakura's. "You need to just keep breathing and focus on being still. Do you understand?"

She nodded, although it was weird, since whenever Gaara spoke from her body, she heard his voice, not hers. "Okay." She said, lowering her hands and focusing her breathing. Tsunade came in, picking up the chart next to the bed.

"Alright Sakura," she said, looking at Gaara's body. This was just so weird. "All of your vital are fine, so no problems there. What is the last thing you remember from when you and Gaara were attacked?" she asked.

"Well, we were fighting these twins, a boy and a girl, and they surrounded us with a few clones. And then the woman made a few hand signs and hit me in the stomach. After that I collided with Gaara, and then passed out."

Tsunade nodded. "Same story that Gaara had."

"But I don't understand Shishou. How is it that we switched? Is there a way that we can be put back in our own bodies? And why-" Sakura asked in a flurry of questions, causing the sand around her to move restlessly again.

"Sakura!" Gaara snapped, giving her a harsh glare. "I said focus on breathing and being still, nothing more."

A pout came to Gaara's face. "Sorry." She said, sitting against the headboard and crossing her arms. She looked up at her superior and raised what could be a brow. "So, what now?"

"Well, the only thing we can do is figure out exactly which jutsu was used. If they hit both of your stomachs, then likely it was a seal. Kakashi will be able to help us with the research on this, and once we figure it out, we'll be able to discover how to reverse it. But you, Sakura, are a danger to yourself and others because of Gaara's sand. So I think it would be best if the both of you stayed in your apartment for the time being. That way Gaara can help to keep you under control." The blonde Hokage said.

Sakura took a deep breath and sighed, trying to control her frustration with the whole situation. She didn't want to be in a man's body. She didn't want to be confined to her apartment. And she most definitely didn't want to have to stay with Gaara the whole time. She didn't fully understand why she would have to be confined, and hated the feeling of uselessness that was starting to overwhelm her. She also felt like a burden, and that was just as bad. But, if she thought rationally, Gaara probably wasn't happy about it either, since he was in the same boat as her. This knowledge in itself made her feel slightly better, and she calmed.

Gaara's glare shifted from Sakura to Tsunade, it was odd seeing such a dark look on her students face and she was having to continuously remind herself it was the Kazekage behind that sweet face. "I have to stay and babysit her?"

Tsunade nodded. "You want to make sure she takes good care of your body, do you not? Besides, you cannot return to Suna as Sakura. It would be best if nobody but a select few knew about this switch. If it were to get out, who knows what could happen? Since you do not know how to use Sakura's fighting style, or she yours, if either village were to get attacked, a significant amount of damage would be done with neither of you two able to join in the fight."

He rolled his eyes, "Please, all I have to do is concentrate and punch things. You forget that I have a phenomenal amount of chakra control."

"Hey, it's more than just concentration and punching. You wouldn't know the first thing about healing, not even a minor cut. Unless things are extremely bad, I stay at the hospital to tend the wounded." Sakura said.

Gaara gave an irritated scowl. "Well I've never really had to worry about that since I have the perfect defense." He countered, heading for the door. He opened it and pointed out, signaling for the other two to leave. "Now leave. I will take her home."

Tsunade nodded. "I will inform you both when we know anything. Till then, try to lay low." She said, leaving the room.

Naruto waved his farewells. "I'll come by to visit you guys later. For now though, Ichiraku calls!" he declared, running from the room.

Sakura let out a sigh and threw the covers to the bed back, standing. "This is so weird." She grumbled, grabbing the set of clothes next to the bed and heading for the bathroom in order to dress.

"Just try not to touch anything." He grumbled, closing the hospital door so that they were alone.

"Yeah, yeah, same to you." She said, shutting the door to the bathroom. She sighed and threw off the hospital gown, making sure not to look at herself or in the mirror. She pulled on the boxers, pausing once they were secure around her waist. She swayed them from side to side, the weight down there feeling foreign to her. Knowing what it was, she grimaced and finished putting on Gaara's clothes. Coming back out of the bathroom, she looked at him. "Let's go. I'll show you the way to my place." She said, walking towards the door.

He opened the door and walked out ahead of himself. God, this was going to be so weird. "I don't need you to show me where it is, I already know where you live." He said with a huff, trying to keep her pink hair from falling in his face.

"How? You've never been there before." She asked, following her form down the hall.

"I have been to Konoha many times. And I do not sleep, I've seen you go home before." He explained, not really seeing where her discomfort was coming from.

"Stalker." She muttered, crossing her arms. It was weird, being this tall. She felt like she could see so many more things.

He chose not to answer as they walked towards her home. They reached the apartment building and before they could enter a young girl ran up to him, smiling brightly up at Gaara, only seeing Sakura. "Sakura-sama! You've returned! Remember, you said when you got back we could play together." She bounced.

Gaara grimaced and continued past her, "I do not 'play' with anyone." He said sharply, making her start to tear up.

Sakura smiled down at the little girl, well, as much as she could smile, since the muscles in Gaara's face were really stiff. Placing a hand on her head. "She will still play with you. But Sakura is very busy at the moment, so your play date will have to wait a little while longer." She reassured the girl.

She stared up, wide eyed, at the Kazekage. She had never come in contact with the man before, but he was extremely handsome. "Are you sure Kazekage-sama? She seems mad. Did something bad happen?" she asked.

"I was mean to her for no reason, and hurt her feelings." She lied quickly.

"B-but Kazekage-sama, you're so nice every time I see you. Always with that odd ball Naruto." She giggled, clinging to his leg.

"Saku-! I mean, Gaara!" Sakura's body stormed up, having to glare up at his own body. This was really starting to freak him out. "What are you doing? Get in the house now!"

She gave herself a haughty look. "Do not presume to order me around." She said, and then looked down at the young girl. "Regardless, for some reason I feel the need to belittle her every once in a while. I shall see you later, Rinja." She said, gently prying the young girl off of her and walking towards the door of her apartment. She grabbed the right arm of her own body and dragged her with her. "Come Sakura."

The pink haired woman seemed to fume and cursed at the male, shaking her fist in the air. "How dare you think you can treat me like this, you are not higher than me just because you are in my body with my authority!" And then they disappeared up the steps into the building.

The girl just blinked and scratched her head, "How did the Kazekage know my name?" she asked, giving a small shrug and running off to go play at the park.

* * *

Gaara slammed the door and glared up at himself. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I kind of understand why you act so arrogant all the time. It's a lot of fun." She giggled slightly, a completely foreign sound coming from the normally stoic Kazekage's body. "Besides, to those who do not know of our situation, we have to keep up appearances. I was merely attempting to act like you." She said, walking to her kitchen. "I'm hungry." She stated, rummaging through her cabinets.

He rolled his eyes, walking over to the couch and sitting down. He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, not really thinking about his position since he had his legs spread. He wasn't very used to being a woman.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I guess. My stomach hurts. Don't you ever eat anything?" he groaned, placing his hand on his stomach. It was odd not too feel his toned muscle. Though it was interesting. He was touching Sakura in a way he never thought he would. His interest sparked a bit and he sat up, unzipping the red shirt and getting a view of her breasts.

Sakura had peeked into the living room to glare at him, but stopped. All she could see was herself looking down, but it was still odd. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

He glanced up and shrugged. "Exploring." He said simply, placing his now delicate hands beneath Sakura's breasts and giving them a bit of lift. "It doesn't look like much with your clothes on, but these are quite impressive."

She hastily walked into the living room, going wide eyed at what he was doing. "Hey, don't look at me!" she said, becoming slightly distressed. "And don't touch me either, that's just weird!"

He stopped his actions and looked up at her, a bored expression coming across his face. "I was just experimenting. These things are foreign to me and it's odd to have them weighing down on my chest."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah well having this thing between my legs is odd too, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna look at it and touch it. God." She threw her now larger hands in the air and went back to the kitchen.

"Hey!" he called after her with a small glare. "As much as I despise other people I am still a man." He faced forward once more and gripped them, feeling just how soft they were. "So odd, I never thought they would feel like this."

A grumble could be heard coming from the kitchen. "I swear if you weren't in my body I'd hit you!" small grains of sand began to float in the air of the apartment, most of them condensing in the kitchen. Feeling the odd sensation of them floating around her, Sakura shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was so hard not to be upset though, because, despite the fact that technically it was her own body touching itself, Gaara was the one controlling it. And nobody had ever touched her in such a way before, so she was extremely embarrassed.

He walked into the kitchen, having zipped her shirt back up. "Stop straining, you need to clear your mind. Just because I am not in my body doesn't mean I don't know what my sand is doing. You need to be careful, your mind must be a fortress of steel that allows nothing out, or else you will hurt people."

She placed a hand on her forehead and looked over at him. "It's really hard." She said.

"I know." He frowned, giving her a somewhat sympathetic look. He stopped in front of his body and rested a hand on his shoulder. He felt she needed comfort, and he knew firsthand how difficult being him was. "It is very difficult, but I will try to help you."

"Okay." She sighed, somehow feeling better all of a sudden. It was nice, having the assurance that she wasn't alone to deal with this. Even if they didn't quite get along all the time, she was thankful that Gaara was here with her. Lowering her now large hand from her forehead, she turned back to what she had started to cook. It was fried rice and chicken, something simple and quick to make.

He went over to the kitchen sitting down in one of the chairs. He sighed and rest one of his elbows on the table, and rested his head on his palm. He went a bit wide eyed then, "How exactly are we supposed to bathe?"

She paused in cooking, her own eyes going wide as well. "Um…oh! I know!" she said, running from the kitchen down the hall. She came back a moment later, holding a scrub brush that had a long handle. "It's supposed to be used to wash your back, but we could use it for washing everything else. And then you could just not look." She said, setting down the brush on the table.

He eyed it and looked up at her a bit horrified. "You are not using that on me." He stated simply, pointing at his body's pelvis. "You better be careful with that. It is a man's pride and joy, and I will not allow you to handle it so roughly."

She blanched, a light pink coming to her cheeks. "You mean…I have to touch it?"

"Look, it's not like I want you to or anything." He said quickly, a small hint of a blush reaching across on Sakura's face.

She sighed. "Fine. But I still want you to use this." She gestured to the brush.

He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, whatever."

Sakura walked back to the kitchen and prepared their plates, pouring two glasses of ice water for the both of them. She set a plate of food in front of Gaara, and then went back to get her own. Sitting across from him, she began to eat. "How long do you think we'll have to stay like this?" she asked idly, pushing some of the rice on her plate around.

"I don't know." He said, sounding irritated as he began to eat. "I'm not a doctor."

She frowned. "Well I am a doctor and even I can't tell. Nothing like this has ever happened to anyone in Konoha before. At least, it was never recorded. And I would know, since I've read every file we have." She said, taking a bite.

"Well you must have no life." He sighed, shoving another mouthful of rice in his mouth. His stomach felt so empty and he wondered if she was one of those dieters.

"I do so." She protested. "It was a while ago, when I was beginning my training in medical jutsu. I figured if I read some past medical cases and what was done, I would be able to get ahead."

"Aka, you have no life." He pointed at her with his chopsticks. He stared for a while, taking in his own features. He couldn't get over the fact that he was looking at himself, but he was himself. He felt like he was just wearing a mask and that this body was only moving like a puppet on its strings.

She huffed, blowing Gaara's bangs from her face. She wondered why he was staring at her, but then realized she was doing the same thing to herself. It wasn't that she had never examined her appearance in a mirror before, but it was different to see what you looked like through someone else's eyes. Man, her forehead really was huge.

His gaze turned into a glare, a feature she did not like seeing on her own face. "Why are you staring at me." He demanded.

"No reason, I was just noticing things about myself I never did before." She said, returning her attention to her meal. "Besides, you stared first."

He simply rolled his now emerald green eyes and continued to eat. When Sakura finished eating, she rose and cleaned her plate, setting it in the dishwasher. By now it was beginning to get dark outside, since it was just past noon when she had woken up in the hospital. She was beginning to become sleepy, despite the fact that she hadn't been up for long. It was probably because of the trauma of her entire ordeal. At the thought of going to sleep, she wondered if she'd be able to. Was Gaara's lack of sleep a mental disorder, or did it have to do with the body entirely? On top of that, where was Gaara going to sleep?

As she watched him finishing his meal, her gaze moved to the living room. Inspiration hitting her, she went into her bedroom and gathered a spare pillow and blanket. Placing them on the back of the couch, she turned to the ex-redhead. "You can sleep on the couch while you're here." She instructed, pointing to the large sofa.

By then he had placed his own dishes in the sink and walked out into the living room. "Oh I'm not sleeping there."

"Well the only other place for you to sleep would be the floor, and I will not subject my body to that." She said, crossing her arms.

He smirked, making the dark grin appear on her features. "Oh, I'm not sleeping on the floor either. This is technically this body's apartment and I will be sleeping on the bed. You can enjoy the couch though, looks comfy for you." He waved, now liking how the tide had turned from earlier.

"What?" she asked in shock. "No. No, no, no. This is my apartment, I paid for it with the money I earned. I will be sleeping in my bed, just as I always do." She crossed her arms in a stubborn manner.

"Look in the mirror sweetheart. Right now, I am Haruno Sakura, this apartment is in _my_ name and I will be sleeping in the bed this body has become accustomed too." He said smugly, heading down the hall towards her bedroom.

She followed. "Well I'm not going to sleep anywhere other than my bed, so you're just gonna have to deal with it." She said once they were in the master bedroom.

He feigned embarrassment, "But I, Haruno Sakura, am no easy woman to court. I could not allow a man into my bed that has done nothing to win my affection." He smirked, giving her a taunting look.

"And I, Sabaku no Gaara, take no interest in women at all, because they are useless. Especially you." She replied quickly. "Besides, I'm so asexual, I wouldn't know what to do with a woman, so you don't have to worry about your honor, for I would most surely make a fool of myself if I tried anything with someone such as yourself, for you deserve a real man, something I am not." She smirked, placing a hand on her chest.

His eye visibly twitched, but he composed himself quickly. "Well that's just fine, because I am annoying and I do not know how to please a man anyways. I wouldn't be able to handle all that you would do to me, because I am frail and innocent, lacking all kinds of sexual allure. My sex appeal is so low, I wouldn't even be able to get someone like Naruto."

She scowled hatefully at him, but tried to remain calm. "You should not degrade yourself. The stick up my ass reaches too far for me to be able to please you the way you deserve, so it is of no consequence." She unbuckled his vest and then began to take off his shirt, wanting to go to sleep. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to rest. Putting up with you is tiresome."

He scoffed and unzipped her shirt, tossing it aside quickly. "Why Gaara, you don't have a stick up your ass. I'm sorry that I am just so irritating and never shut up." He unbuckled her skirt and let it fall to the ground, pulling off her shoes as well. "By the way, it's kinda hot tonight, so I think I'll sleep nude." He smirked, trying to reach back and unclip her bra. "Goodnight." He said pulling the covers back and getting in.

She pulled off her pants, but kept her boxers on. She would remain decent, only because she didn't want _her_ innocent body touching his in such a way. She crawled into bed and rolled onto her side, facing away from Gaara. "I can't wait until this is over. Because when it is, I'm gonna kick your ass." She grumbled, closing her eyes.

"You can try." He said, facing away from her as well, frowning as he closed his eyes.

She just grunted, not wanting to talk to him anymore. She couldn't wait until this was over and she had her body back. At the start of her mission she'd wanted to get to know him better, but this was just ridiculous.


	7. Coping

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Seven_

-Coping-

Sakura opened her eyes the next morning, and let a small smile come to her face. It was all just a dream, it had to be. Because she was in her bed, in her apartment. She stretched and rolled over, her eyes widening. Seeing her own body across from her, she groaned. So it wasn't a dream.

She sat up and rubbed her face. This was just horrible. She threw the covers back and rose, picking up the clothes she hadn't really worn much the day before. She walked to her bathroom and shut the door, intent on showering. She wasn't really looking forward to having to wash Gaara's body, but since she was big on hygiene, she knew it was a must.

Gaara stared at the wall. He was unable to sleep that night, though he wasn't surprised. He had actually thought that being in Sakura's body would allow him to sleep. But that had not been the case. He sighed, hearing the water begin to run. He got up and was about to grab the clothes he had discarded, but stopped and walked over to her dresser. Since he assumed he was supposed to bathe her body, he just took out a long t-shirt and pulled it on.

He headed into the living room and felt his stomach grumbling. He went into the kitchen then, and started to make breakfast for them both. He sighed, thinking about their exchange last night. He felt somewhat bad about it. Some of the things he had said were uncalled for. He flipped the pancake and started the eggs and bacon.

In the shower, Sakura finished bathing Gaara and got out. It hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. A little awkward at first, but she got through it. After drying off, she got dressed and brushed through Gaara's unruly hair. Unconsciously, she grabbed her body spray that smelled slightly of cherry blossoms and sprayed it. Too late, her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. Oops, Gaara would be upset. Especially after some of the things she had said to him last night, which she felt guilty for. It was just too easy for her to get mad and argue with him.

She walked into the living room, smelling breakfast. A small smile graced her features, and her stomach growled slightly. "You didn't have to cook. I could have made breakfast." She said, leaning against the entrance to the kitchen.

"Stop smiling…its disturbing." He sighed, glancing back at his form. He made up their plates and carried them both over, offering her one. "By the way…I'm…sorry. You are a very attractive woman. I said some cruel things last night and for that I apologize. You just…antagonize me…and it's hard to stop myself."

She took the plate from him, a guilty look coming to her features. "It's okay. I wasn't any better. I'm sorry for saying the things I did. You're plenty able to please a woman." She told him, becoming somewhat embarrassed. "And I understand what you mean. I usually don't say such rude things or argue as often, but with you, it seems that I just can't help it." She sat down at the table. He shrugged, taking a seat as well.

"It's fine. I find no joy in life so there is probably validity to the things you have said." He said simply, starting to eat his breakfast. "I will shower after this…" he stopped and looked towards her, sniffing loudly. "Are you wearing body spray?"

"Sorry." She said sheepishly. "I sprayed it out of habit, and it was too late to completely move out of the way. It will wear off in a few hours, I swear."

He sighed, trying to keep his cool. He knew it wasn't intentional, and he would have probably done the same thing. "It's alright…just try not to do it, ok?"

She nodded. "I will." They ate in silence after that, until Sakura began to think about how well she had slept last night. Her curiosity piqued, she asked, "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"No."

A contemplative look came to her face as she thought about the reasons why. "That's really interesting. I would have thought that while in my body you would get some sleep, while I got little or none."

He gave a small shrug. "I thought I might as well. But it would appear it is a mental thing, not a physical condition."

"Perhaps you are just too used to not sleeping, and therefore slowly over time need to try and teach your body how to sleep. I wouldn't be surprised if you just slept a few times a week. Since you can survive with hardly any, it will not affect your motor functions." She surmised, returning to her meal.

"Maybe it's because I'm not at peace." He said without really thinking about it, he stopped mid-bite and frowned. "Don't look into that, I'm sure it's nothing."

Her curiosity sparked, she sat forward slightly. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, tilting her head to the side and looking a lot like a puppy, a feature never seen on the usual stoic face.

He gave her a small glare. "I said it's nothing."

"Look, I'm just trying to help. It's not like I'll think any less of you if you tell me. And if it is potentially keeping you from sleep, then it isn't nothing. It's something." She said, her brow crinkling a bit between her eyes.

"Why does it matter, it's not like you're having to deal with it." He said, growing a bit angry. He didn't like having her pry into his business.

She straightened, beginning to grow a bit agitated with his defensiveness. "Because I want to help you. Is there something so wrong with helping out a friend?" she asked.

He stared at her for a long while, his frown not letting up. "I didn't really think you considered me your friend."

"Maybe not close friends, but friends nonetheless. Unless you don't want to be friends, I won't force my friendship upon you." She said, crossing her arms. What had given him that impression? If they weren't friends, she wouldn't have worked so hard to help get him back from the Akatsuki, nor would she have made as much of an effort to be as nice to him as she had.

"I dunno," he glanced off. "I mean, I did try to kill you, and you don't exactly speak with me on a casual basis. Plus you always have this attitude that really pisses me off. Like you think that I think I'm better than you."

She looked down at her now empty plate of food. "I always thought that you did. Especially after you said I was useless when we first arrived in Suna at the start of the mission. But part of that is just my poor self-esteem, not you." She admitted, her thoughts beginning to turn dark as they drifted towards Sasuke, the one who had only made her feel worse about herself. All the time. "But I don't blame you for trying to kill me. You were a different person then, and it was a long time ago."

He watched her closely, but decided to remain quiet about the distress he saw on his own face. "Well considering the fact I hated myself most of my life, the last thing I would do is think I was better than someone."

The corner of her mouth lifted, but her gaze remained down. "I suppose you're right." Now she felt like a terrible person. She even knew that Gaara didn't really like himself as a kid, having heard his story from Naruto. And yet she had still felt like he thought he was superior to her, and that her childhood was so much worse, when in fact, it wasn't. She had two wonderful parents that loved her, many friends, though some made fun of her when she was young, and many great teachers. And yet, because of one boy, a boy that she had given her heart to, would have sold her soul for, belittled her to no end, her world was shattered. How pathetic. A look of self-loathing came to her face as she thought about what she had allowed Sasuke to do to her, had given him that power to affect her in such a way.

"Fine," he sighed, setting down his utensils and pushing his food away. "What's wrong?"

Sakura tried to feign innocence and cover up her dark thoughts. "Nothing's wrong, why do you say that?"

"Because one, I know my own facial expressions, and two, the way the sand is moving…" he stopped, mimicking the grains with a movement of his hand. "Is showing that you are having terrible unrest and inner conflict."

Surprise flickered across her features at how close he was in guessing what was wrong with her. She began to fidget, nervous about admitting some of her most secret thoughts. No one knew how she felt about herself and her abilities, or the fact that she hated herself for liking Sasuke at all. "I just feel like such a terrible person. I can't ever seem to do anything right, and for some reason I assumed things about you that aren't true." She sighed. "Sasuke always said that I was useless and annoying." She stated, as if saying that the last Uchiha was right.

"That…" he began. "Is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"What?" she asked, slightly offended. She truly believed the words that he had said. Because no matter how much stronger she got, it was never enough.

He shook his head and stood, picking up his plate. "No wonder you're so annoying. You do realize the only reason you think that is because of someone who isn't even here anymore. Who doesn't give a crap what you think. What kind of moronic person bases their life and how they feel off some douche bag who left them? Do you understand just how stupid that sounds? News flash Sakura, everyone and their mother assume the wrong things about me. Why don't you actually make your standards on what your friends think of you and not some emo punk?" he walked off, setting the plate down in the sink and walking back out and heading towards her room. "Now I'm going to go get a shower. I won't be long."

"Okay. Don't forget to use the scrub brush." She reminded, still staring at her plate.

"I won't." he sighed, disappearing through the door.

Sakura stood and took her plate into the kitchen and began to wash the dishes from breakfast. As she did so, she thought about what Gaara had said. He was right, it was stupid to linger on the old hurts and feelings that Sasuke had caused her to feel all those years ago. After he left, she had done many things. She became the apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, learned how to heal and crush mountains, surpassed her mentor, specialized in poisons, assist in saving two Kages, all before she was twenty-five. And what had Sasuke done? Abandoned his village and his friends, learned from a pedophile, killed his brother, who lived his entire life for Sasuke, and joined a criminal organization to get revenge for his brother's death, whom he himself killed. When you thought about it, Sasuke was a complete idiot.

By the time she had come to this conclusion the entire kitchen was clean, and so she walked into the living room, grabbed her medical journal and sat on the couch. Then she began to take note of her recent discovery about Gaara and his sleeping habits. She really did want to help him fix it, whether or not he wanted her aid. Done with that, she put the journal on her bookshelf and grabbed another, turning to the section about sleeping disorders, and began to read.

There was a loud knock on the door, and judging by the rhythm it was obvious as to who it was. "Sakura!" Naruto yelled through the door, knocking even louder. "Sakura-chan! It's me and Sai. We have come to visit you and Gaara, and we brought you sustenance!" Sakura rolled her eyes and got up, heading towards the door and opened it, coming face to face with her excited blonde friend.

"Oh." He blinked. "Sorry Gaara, is Sakura-chan here?" Naruto asked, only to be smacked over the head by Sai.

"Hello Sakura," he said, actually sounding nice. "I brought you guys some paints and easels to have something to do." He offered her the bag then.

"Well I brought ramen! I know you must be starving!" the blonde beamed.

Sakura took both bags, smiling slightly. "Thanks guys, although we're not starving. I have plenty of food to last us a while. Come in." she offered, stepping aside so that they could enter. Once she shut the door, she turned to them. "Make yourselves comfortable. Gaara is in the shower." She said, moving to put away the ramen in the kitchen.

The two looked at one another and then back at the redhead through the window that looked into the kitchen from the living room. "So…did you see his penis?" Sai asked with a smirk.

An embarrassed blush came to her face. "No! I'm being polite and allowing Gaara his privacy! God, you are so perverted Sai." She said, coming into the living room.

"Well I can't say that Gaara is being as considerate. No red blooded male would." Naruto said, plopping down on the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Hey if it was me who switched, I know I would be peeking. Women are so inconsiderate. Men like attention just as much as them." Sai snickered, walking over to the living room and reading over the books.

"What the hell are you two doing in here." Gaara walked in, wrapped in only a towel since he had been on his way out of the shower when he heard their voices. Sai snickered and made his way over to his teammate's body.

"Well, well, well. Lucky man, come on Gaara at least let us see the goods." He said, reaching a creeping hand towards the towel. Gaara smacked his hand down and glared at him.

"As if you freak."

Sakura glared over at the ebony haired man. "Sai, if you even think about it I will kill you. Now let Gaara go and put some clothes on." She ordered, crossing her arms. It was going to be difficult to stay calm with both of her teammates here. They just angered her so easily. But she could do it. Nodding to herself, she took a calming breath, slowly letting the slight upset leave her body.

Gaara rolled his eyes and walked back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Sai just laughed and walked back over to the living room area, taking note of the sofa. "Hold on a moment…" he examined the whole area and then a sadistic smile crept up his features. "Oh my, oh my. Sakura you dirty little girl…well boy…" he laughed and looked up at the redhead. "You slept with Gaara last night didn't you?"

Her glare hardened. "Well he wouldn't sleep on the couch, so we shared my bed. And wipe that stupid look off your face, nothing happened."

"That would be creepy…" Naruto said, a look of disgust coming to his features.

"Yeah it would…it's like…doing yourself." Sai laughed once more.

The door to the bedroom opened and Gaara walked out, zipping up Sakura's red shirt. "You are disgusting Sai. If I were ever to perform such an act, Sakura would be in her own body and I in mine." He assured them.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Exactly. That's how I'd want it anyways."

"So what you're saying is, you want to have sex with Gaara." Naruto said, looking between the two.

Sakura blinked, the implication of her words becoming clear to her as a light pink came to her cheeks. "Uh…" she wasn't exactly sure how to answer that question. On the one hand she should say no, because she didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about her feelings for the stoic redhead. But on the other hand, after seeing most of his body and inhabiting it, she knew for a fact that sleeping with Gaara would be an experience she would never forget.

"Naruto, please be quiet." Gaara said with a sigh, giving his friend a small glare. "Do not ask such questions that do not pertain to you." He walked over to Sakura and touched his arm, giving her a look. "Calm your emotions, the sand is starting to pick up." He told her, walking around the couch and sitting down in the usual manner for a man.

Sakura huffed and sat down, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her knees in the way she usually sat. "Sorry."

The blonde gave both of them an odd look, since their postures were just so wrong. But he chose not to say anything for once, content to just watch them act in a funny manner. Sai sat down on the other couch, watching the two with a bit of humor.

"So Gaara. Have you experimented with Sakura's body? I know you have been curious to how it feels. I myself wouldn't be able to help it." He smirked.

"Well I must admit, her breasts are a lot bigger than they look." He pointed out, glancing down at one of her womanly features.

"You looked at them?" Naruto asked, slightly in awe of his friend. To have the courage to do such a thing…it was just amazing to the blonde man.

"Well what is she going to do, attack me? It would be a foolish thing since I am in her body. But I simply could not help it. They are very nice, her whole form is very ideal." He nodded, getting a mirror reaction from both men.

"Absolutely invigorating. You should definitely give us a peek before you switch back." Sai said, smirking.

Gaara just scoffed, "I think not, I think I will just keep this little gift to myself. After all it's not special if everyone has seen it." He pointed out, going a bit wide eyed when he saw the sand swarming dangerously around them. He looked back to his own body, seeing Sakura was gripping her legs tightly and had her eyes closed. "Um…Sakura?"

She was too immersed in her own thoughts to hear the redhead. How could he do this to her? She hadn't looked at his more private areas, and had only touched it because she was instructed to do so for the proper care of said item. On top of that, Naruto and Sai were pissing her off. Especially Sai. How dare he even ask if he can see or touch her body. It was just out of the question.

Nobody had ever seen nor touched her in an intimate way, and yet Gaara thought that just because they had switched bodies he could do so. Though technically it was she who was touching herself, it was still wrong. Now, when they switched back, he would know what she looked like naked. The thought just mortified her. Her eye began to twitch as her anger grew.

"Sakura." Gaara called once more, trying to get her attention. But she remained unresponsive.

She just wanted to strangle them so badly. And throw them through a few buildings as well. Teach them to treat a woman and her body with respect. She would beat all of them to a bloody pulp, just within an inch of their lives. Perhaps then they wouldn't think so lightly of her.

"Sakura!" Gaara yelled, finally snapping her from her thoughts. "You are going to kill them if you continue this." When Sakura opened her eyes, she saw that the sand had surrounded Sai and Naruto, and was constricting them painfully. Gaara was up and had only avoided the trap because he knew his sand better than anyone.

Her eyes widened in shock, and suddenly the sand released its victims, dispersing. "Sorry." She stood abruptly from the couch and went to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. Kicking off her shoes, she sat in the center of her bed, crossing her legs and staring at the purple comforter in utter mortification. She couldn't believe she had almost killed them, and even crushed her own body, just with a few threatening thoughts.

Back in the living room, everyone was still in shock. "I have so much more respect for your control now." Naruto said, a bit baffled. For a moment there he had actually been afraid for his life.

Gaara just gave him a hard stare. "Why do you think I am the way I am, it's not by choice." He snapped, growing a bit angry. He walked around the couches and gripped onto the door knob, looking back at the two. "Maybe you should leave while I try and do damage control." He opened the door and went into the bedroom. "Sakura…I'm sorry, I should have watched what I was saying, it's different for me now since I do not have to watch how I feel or what I say. But I am sorry, I hope you'll forgive me."

Sakura's grip on her knees tightened a bit, but not in anger. "It's not your fault." She whispered, not making eye contact with him. She was too ashamed of herself. What did he think of her now? Worse, what did Naruto and Sai think, since she had almost killed them?

"Yes it is." He said, walking in front of her and lowering down to his knees. It still freaked him out that he was talking to himself. "It is not _your_ fault. It took me years to get a hold of my emotions, and I should not expect you to be able to do as I can in such a short amount of time. I will do better to not make you angry."

She looked up at him, pain in her eyes. "I almost killed them." She said softly, still unable to believe what could have happened if Gaara hadn't gotten her attention.

"I know that…but you didn't, so everything is all right now. And I made them leave. So it's ok, you can just stay here with me until we get switched back. And then you can feel anything you want, and punch Naruto and beat him up with no worries of killing him. Because then you can just heal him, how does that sound?" he tried to cheer her up, placing a hand on her knee. He didn't like the fact she was suffering because of him. It was what he wanted to stop when he became Kazekage, he didn't want people to be in pain because of him.

She gave him a small smile, as his words made her feel better. Before she knew what she was doing, she was hugging him, placing her head on his shoulder, since she was the taller one. "Thank you Gaara." She said sincerely. He went a bit wide eyed, not accustomed to the contact, especially not from his self. Slowly, and a bit hesitantly, he placed his arms around his own body as well and pat his back in attempts to comfort her.

"Um…it's ok. Don't worry about it."

She pulled away and smiled slightly. "I know you don't like having to stay here with me, but I'm glad that you are."

"No it's fine." he said, leaning back so he could get up and stand. "It's not so bad, just odd. Though it's kind of fun, I've never actually been with any person for a long period of time other than my siblings, and they're extremely annoying."

She nodded. "Yeah, especially Kankuro. He's an even bigger idiot than Naruto, and that's saying something."

He actually laughed and smirked at her, "You have no idea, but he is most certainly amusing. You will have to come and visit, I would enjoy torturing him with you, I don't think he'd be able to keep up with what you could dish out."

Sakura returned his smirk. "Of course not. You are the only one as of yet who can keep up with me on an insulting, yet intellectual, level. It would be a lot of fun. Perhaps some time after this is over and we've both caught up on our work I will take my stored vacation time and use it all on my visit to Suna."

He actually looked pleased, as if the visit would be something to look forward to. "That would be nice. You could stay at my house, I find it very inviting. Though," he laughed. "Don't bring Naruto, he's so annoying."

She rolled her eyes, smiling humorously. "Why would I go and ruin my vacation like that? Besides, I want to enjoy my stay with you in your house. If he were there all he'd want to do is train, eat ramen, and find whatever dirty club he could." She said, counting them out on her fingers.

"I never pegged Naruto for a club man, I'm a bit surprised actually…who would have thought." He smirked and looked around the room. "So I saw Sai brought us something to do, want to have a contest?"

"A contest to see who can paint a better picture?" she asked. At his nod, she agreed. "But who's going to judge? You said that Sai and Naruto left already."

He gave her a somewhat skeptical look. "Please, you and I are honest people, I think we can decide between the two of us whose is better, don't you think?"

"True. Alright, you're on." She said, rising to go and get the stuff. She came back into the room and began to pull things out of the bag. "Here." She handed him the items that were his to use, since Sai brought enough supplies for the both of them.

They set up and began their contest, actually having a good time with one another. They talked about things they liked, and things they didn't, and were actually starting to get along. It seemed that this incarceration wasn't going to be as bad as they thought it would be in the beginning.


	8. Disaster Date

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Eight_

-Disaster Date-

Sakura shut her book with a small growl. It had been three days since she and Gaara had had their art contest. Their paintings had both been equally as bad, and so, with a few laughs, they decided it was a draw. Since then they had just been hanging out at her small apartment, talking, watching TV, and playing the few card games that they both knew. During such times, she had gotten to know things about Gaara that she doubted anyone else knew, except maybe a few people he was close to, and she was very grateful for that. They hadn't even fought really, which must be a good sign.

But she was getting tired of such mundane tasks. There were only so many shows on, so many games, and so many books. The redhead, she had learned, was a fast reader, just as herself, and so they had already gone through an entire shelf of books. If this problem wasn't solved soon, she had a feeling that she and Gaara would slowly go insane. Well, even more insane for him.

They were even running out of groceries, but since she wasn't really allowed to interact with people, Tsunade was going to have a Chuunin buy them for her and deliver them, though they wouldn't come until the next day. And she really didn't feel like cooking the ramen noodles Naruto had brought over.

Normally, she would just go out to eat when she either didn't feel like cooking or there was nothing to make. Suddenly, a small smile graced her features, and she turned to look at Gaara, who was building a tower of cards. "Hey Gaara." She said in order to get his attention.

"What?" he asked, staying focused on his task.

"Do you think I'm stable enough to go somewhere?" she asked, hoping that he said yes.

"Probably not." he replied, not losing any focus. It was his sixth attempt to make this stupid tower, and he would be successful.

She crossed her arms in a pout. "But I want to go out somewhere to eat." She said, almost making it sound like a whine.

He let out a sigh, which incidentally made the tower fall down into just a pile of cards. He growled lowly and sat back, crossing his arms in frustration. "Why? There's going to be...people." he frowned as if the thought of being around others was really that distasteful.

"Well…yeah…but it's either that or instant ramen for dinner." She said, giving him a sideways glance.

"I don't really care what we eat. This whole being a woman thing is pretty good. Usually I'm always hungry but now...I can go hours. It's pretty amazing. I guess it's a man thing." he shrugged and started putting the cards away.

"Men typically have higher metabolisms than women. Although, if I go too long without food it feels like I haven't eaten in days." She commented, standing from her spot on the couch and stretching. "Let's just go somewhere. I'm starving, and I can tell you right now that the ramen Naruto brought over is _not_ going to tide me over." She said.

Gaara frowned, and actually whined. "But I don't want to go. I hate people."

She sent him a small glare. "Well I say we go. Besides, I know a quaint little place we can go to eat, that serves just about everything. And it's not far, so we won't see many people. Please Gaara? I really want to go." She begged, clasping her hands together and giving him a pleading look.

He got up with an irritated scowl. "The things I do for you." he sighed, smoothing out the clothes he was wearing. "But you better act like me. I will have none of this frilly girl nonsense."

"Fine. Then you better act like me. If people say hi to you, you have to be nice. You can't just glare at them and keep walking." She said, grabbing her house keys.

"What?" he actually gasped, looking horrified. "Hell no, then we're not going. I'm not being nice to anyone!"

"Oh come on!" she said, throwing her hands in the air. "It won't kill you to be nice to a few people. How about you just look like you're going to be nice, and then I'll be mean and drag you away. Then you don't really have to be nice, and I stay in character for you." She suggested. She really, really wanted to go out to eat. It felt like her stomach was going to start eating itself from hunger.

"Because," he began. "You don't know how to be properly cold. And I'm not a complete asshole. So you just need to scowl and be silent and brooding. Understand?" he said, crossing his arms and meeting her determined gaze with his own.

"Yes, I understand. And so when I do that, you just smile and wave, okay?" she crossed her own arms and rose what could be a brow at him.

He gave her a threatening look, and she didn't realize that she could actually look that menacing. "I don't do smiling, and I most certainly don't wave at people."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "If you can't do those two, small things, then don't expect me to act like a man when we eat. Nobody will even know it's you, because you're in my body."

His glare only grew icier. "You are the one who wants to go out. You are in no place to make demands, and you aren't the one with a reputation to uphold. Plus, you've sprayed me with body spray TWICE!" he snapped, pointing at her accusingly.

Sakura lowered her arms to her sides. "But I didn't do it today! And it's not like anyone noticed, because it's just been the two of us! And I do so have a reputation to uphold. You forget that this is my village! _I_ live here and see these people every day, whereas _you_ are just going to leave when this is all over. So don't act like you're the only one here who would suffer should the other one not act accordingly." She said, pointing back at him.

He mimicked her facial expression, trying to make her appear ugly. "Wah, wah, wah. Can't you just blame it on PMS or something? That's believable."

Her eye twitched. "No Gaara, you can't blame it on PMS. You can't blame a woman being upset or mean on PMS every time!" she yelled, stomping her foot and causing the sand to become restless. "And stop frowning, you're going to make me get wrinkles early, or worse, my face is going to stick that way and I'll wind up looking just as terrible as you. Do you know how hard it is to smile with this face?" she asked, pulling at one of his cheeks. "It's like the muscles have never been used before now."

There was a long silence between the two, and Sakura was lucky she had his sand, because if he had had any control of it, she would be dead. He walked around the couch and went back to her room, slamming the door behind him and locking it, so that even if she wanted to come in she couldn't.

She frowned. That was not the type of reaction she would have expected from him. Usually he continued to insult her. She sat down on the couch and put her head in her hands, rubbing her face in exasperation. For some reason, she didn't like the fact that he had locked himself in her room. It made her feel guilty for insulting him. If he had just stayed and said something about how ugly she was anyways, or about how stupid she was, she would have been okay with that. But this, this was weird.

And truth be told, he didn't look terrible. He was incredibly sexy. Letting out a sigh, she rose and walked over to her door. "Gaara." She called, knocking twice. "Open up."

"If you value your life you will go away. I do not need my sand to kill you." He said darkly, staring at the doorway. He really hoped that the fact that she actually hurt his feelings was because her emotions from her body were starting to wear off on him. His glare increased as he watched the sand trying to pick at the lock. She might not realize what she was doing, but it must have been because it was what she wanted. He walked over to the window and slid it open, looking out into the village. It was almost dusk, and without a second thought he jumped out, landing flat on the ground and walking off.

When she could no longer feel another chakra presence in the apartment, she grabbed the doorknob and began to shake the door. "Gaara? Gaara!" she called frantically. The door opened suddenly, surprising her. Then she realized that Gaara's sand must have done it, and so she ran into her bedroom. When it was empty she began to panic. Seeing that the window was ajar, she ran over to it and looked out, unable to find her head of pink hair on the streets. Which only meant one thing; he had left and gone off somewhere. Not caring that she wasn't supposed to go out, she jumped out the window and began to look for him. It would be difficult, since she had to appear to be calm and collected, and not call Gaara's name, but she would do it.

As she looked around, she wondered where he would have gone to. It couldn't have been any of the training fields, since he didn't really know how to use any of her abilities, and he most certainly wouldn't have gone to find any of their friends. Most likely, given his temperament, he would go somewhere to be alone.

Those thoughts in mind, she headed to the park, the first place on her mental list of places to go. It was the largest one, and had many spots where he could be. Upon arriving, she looked in the fields of flowers, and then at the small maze of bushes. Not finding him there, she tried the amphitheatre that was at the center of the park, but had no luck. That was when she remembered one of her own favorite spots to visit, and headed in that direction.

Coming upon the pond, she looked to the biggest cherry blossom tree that lined that bank, and saw herself standing beneath the tree at its roots. Sakura walked over slowly, stopping a few feet away. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

He glanced at her with his peripheral vision and then focused forward once more, staring at the reflection that was not his. "Was I confusing when I spoke? Or do you just have a death wish?"

Sakura frowned. "No, but I was worried."

Gaara scoffed, a dark smile creeping up his face. "Right." He rolled his eyes, of course she was worried about her body. "I'm not so terrible that I would bring harm to your body."

"No." she said, shaking her head. "I was worried about you."

He finally turned to face her. "Why."

"Because you're my friend and I care about you." She told him. Her arm came up and across her chest, gripping the opposite arm in a stance she usually took when she felt extremely sad or guilty. "I didn't mean what I said. I never do. But, I am sorry just the same, and if you want…I will sleep on the couch for the remainder of your stay." She said with a nod. She wasn't sure why she had offered it, but it felt right, since she technically was the man, and the man always did such things when in a fight with the woman they were staying with. It was kind of messed up thinking, but it made sense to Sakura.

Gaara looked down, closing his eyes, but the next thing she heard surprised her. He laughed. "That," he smirked, looking up at her. "Is the dumbest thing, I have ever heard."

A timid smile graced her lips. "Well, I just can't help but say stupid things around you." She said, since it was not the first time he had told her that what she was saying was stupid, or dumb. They were virtually the same anyways.

"Come on," he sighed, gesturing for her to follow him as he began to walk off. "All this upset has made me hungry."

She followed eagerly, happy that their squabble was over and she was still going to get what she wanted. "I'm starving." She said. "I don't know how you put up with being hungry most of the time."

"I told you, in your body I'm just not hungry. You're only hungry because you're a man, and stop smiling it looks weird." He gave her a pressing look.

The smile quickly left her face as she tried to keep it blank. "Sorry, I'm just so excited to eat right now, you have no idea." She twisted her features in an attempt to look exactly like he normally did. "How is that?"

"Much better." He nodded, facing forward and slapping her cheeks lightly, trying to loosen up his own muscles and look at least pleasant. They finally came upon the restaurant district and picked one that looked promising. As they walked in, the hostess gave them a warm smile. "Well hello Sakura, nice to see you again."

Gaara didn't respond at first, since he wasn't accustomed to being called Sakura, but quickly tried to be the girl. "Hello!" he said a bit loudly, trying to sound friendly. "I love the weather, it's so nice, everything is awesome!" he said, feeling extremely awkward. But at least he was trying.

Sakura sighed, turning her cool jade gaze to the hostess. "We would like a table for two please, preferably one that allows for us to have some privacy." She directed, thinking that she had done a good job in pretending to be Gaara.

She blinked and looked between the two. "I didn't know you and the Kazekage were an item."

Gaara leaned on the stand giving the woman a smirk. "Oh yeah, we're totally an item. I actually submit to him instead of being a stuck up know-it-all." He said, giving Sakura a look to show her this was payback for earlier.

"Yes, well, I am the only one man enough to temper her fiery spirit." Sakura said, trying not to roll her eyes. "Now will you show us to a table, or do I need to find one myself?" she asked, slightly irritated. She was hungry damnit, and this stupid woman was keeping her from what she desired most in that moment.

"Oh of course Kazekage-sama. Forgive me." She bowed respectfully and led them towards the booths near the back. She gestured to one of the tables and set their menus down. "Your waiter will be right with you. I will inform him that his customer is the Kazekage." She said, dashing off to go find one of the staff. It took no time for a blonde male to walk up.

"Hello there Kazekage-sama. What can I get you to drink?" he asked.

Sakura was a bit wide eyed, since no matter what the service had never been this fast. "Water."

"I'll have strawberry lemonade. And you look very nice and I'm very happy." He said, trying to get a smile on his face. The waiter stared at Sakura's body a bit suspiciously but then wrote it down and left.

"Gaara, stop saying you're happy, you sound ridiculous. And how could you tell the waiter that he looked nice? I am insulted." She said, crossing her arms.

He just rolled his eyes. "I'm _trying_ to be nice and like people, it's not something I am accustomed too. I can stop and be myself." He crossed his arms, staring her down, well, staring himself down.

She sighed. "Just use your manners and say please and thank you, that should be enough. When nobody is around you can be yourself."

He sighed, picking up his menu and scanning over the contents. "I suppose. We'll see, but who cares if I said he looked nice. Is that really that bad? What is he going to do? Stalk you?"

"It's happened before." She said, picking up her own menu. "Besides, everyone thinks we're on a date, and you don't just tell the waiting staff they look nice in front of your boyfriend, that is just rude, and now I could come across as a whore."

"Please," Gaara laughed. "The only guy who has ever stalked you is Lee and myself."

She looked up. "When did you stalk me?"

He froze a bit, cursing under his breath. "Well there was that time in the hospital at the Chuunin Exams. And then there was this…one time…when Naruto asked me to help pick out a birthday present for you so I had to do some…recon."

She rose what could be a brow at him. "Continue."

He gave her a small glare. "What do you mean continue? That was it. What else were you expecting? Me to stalk you all the time?"

"I was just checking. One can never be too careful." She said, laying down her menu, since she had found what she wanted. The waiter came back and they ordered, Gaara not really paying mind to him at all anymore since apparently he wasn't playing her right.

"Well now you're just being rude." Sakura said, sitting back against the seat of the booth.

He glanced up at her, giving her an annoyed look. "I don't know what you want from me woman. This is how I am, deal with it."

"I'm just saying, it isn't that hard to be me. Although since you're failing at it, I suppose that means I'm a complex individual." She said, a self-satisfied look coming to her face.

"Or that I'm far too complex to be able to act so ordinary and simple." He countered.

She snorted. "Not really, since it's easy to pretend to be you."

"No, right now it's easy. But the second you get any slight turmoil, someone could get hurt." He said, lacing his fingers together and resting them on the table.

She rolled her eyes as their food was placed before them. Quickly picking up her chopsticks, she looked upon her dinner greedily. "Oh boy, oh boy!" she said softly, thinking about what she wanted to eat first. He sighed, remaining silent and eating his with a bit more class, since he wasn't as excited as she to get into their meal.

Taking a bite of sushi, Sakura made an appreciative noise and closed her eyes. Then she continued to eat, ignoring all else until the edge of her hunger was gone. A huge smile, something that looked completely foreign on the young Kazekage, came to her face as she moved from her sushi to her tempura. She had ordered two meals instead of one, being extremely hungry.

"Stop smiling." Gaara seethed, having been watching her. She just kept making him look like an idiot.

"Oh please, you look nice when you smile." She said, taking a drink before returning to her food. He just scoffed and continued eating as if her answer wasn't worth a retort.

They ate in silence after that, but it was not an unpleasant one. When they were finished eating, Sakura let out a contented sigh. She felt so much better now that she had eaten. "We should get dessert. Do they have fried ice cream here?" she asked, becoming excited. She hadn't had it since before the switch, but ever since then she'd been craving some.

"I doubt it, this isn't a sushi restaurant." He said, leaning back as well and patting his now full stomach. The waiter walked up and went a bit wide eyed at the sight. Sakura was sitting with her legs spread and rubbing her stomach.

"Um….ma'am?" he asked, looking away. Gaara glanced up at him and gave him a glare.

"What?"

Sakura glared at him, and kicked him under the table, making him wince and give her a glare as well. "Close your legs, it's not lady-like."

He cleared his throat and tried to situate himself. "Better?"

"It'll do." She said, sitting up and leaning on her arm. "Can we help you?" she asked the waiter, raising what could be a brow.

"Uh, yes. I was just wondering if you would like the check Lord Kazekage-sama." He gulped, looking slightly nervous in the presence of a Kage.

"Yes, go ahead and bring it." She ordered. He nodded and hurried off, with Gaara's eyes trailing after with his gaze.

"Man I miss my authority." He growled, leaning forward and running his hands through the pink locks on his head.

"It is kind of nice, the way people don't second guess you or anything." Sakura said, looking over at him. He nodded and sighed.

"Always getting what you want, and not to mention the respect." He stopped then and looked up at her, glancing away quickly. He didn't want to be staring into his own face when he said this. "You know Sakura…I've actually…enjoyed being with you these past few days."

Surprise lit her face, but she covered it quickly, knowing that he wanted her to keep her expression blank the way he did. "Me too. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. And honestly…I'm glad it was you whom I switched with." She admitted, looking down at the wood table.

He nodded and watched as the waiter came back, giving them their check. They paid quickly, intent on getting home and trying to rest. After all, the day's events had been tiring.


	9. Alleviate

**Doppelganger**

_Chapter Nine_

-Alleviate-

The day had been a quiet one so far. Sakura and Gaara had risen at their respected times, and while she showered, Gaara made breakfast. Once that was done Gaara showered and Sakura did the dishes. Then they both settled comfortably on the couches to read a book. The silence didn't bother either of them, and by now Sakura was comfortable enough with Gaara to not feel obligated to talk.

There was a polite knock on the front door, and with an annoyed sigh, Sakura shut her book and rose. "I'll get it." She said, walking over to the front door. She opened it to reveal a very familiar silver haired Jounin. "Kakashi-sensei, come in." Sakura said, stepping back to give him room to enter.

He did so, unaffected by the fact that it was Gaara's body and voice that had greeted him. He walked until he was just in the doorway, since his news was not something that required he stay long.

"Why are you here? Shishou said you were researching how to switch us back." The pink haired woman said.

Gaara rose as well, walking to the two and stopping once he was beside Sakura. "This must mean that you've found a way to switch us back. Right?"

"Yes, we have. Tsunade has requested that I take you two to her, and she will explain everything. Are you ready?" he asked, looking between them.

"Of course. I'm tired of being a woman. And Sakura keeps spraying my body with scented mist." He gave her a small glare, since she still had yet to get out of the habit.

She waved it off and opened her door. "Yeah, yeah. I could just be doing it to annoy you." She gave him a sly look, and walked out. Kakashi followed, as did Gaara.

* * *

"The funniest thing happened." Tsunade said once the three had arrived at her office. "I realized the other day when Kakashi brought it up that we could have fixed this little problem a lot sooner." She said.

"What do you mean Shishou?" Sakura asked, confusion coming to her face.

"The fact that in reality, it is just your minds that have switched bodies. And Yamanaka Inoichi is an expert on this kind of thing, so it would be no trouble at all for you two to switch back." The blonde Hokage told them, lacing her fingers together.

Gaara's eye visibly twitched, and he had to restrain every muscle in his body to not pulverize the woman in front of him. "…What…?"

"All we have to do in order to switch you two back is put you to sleep and have Inoichi enter your minds and switch them back. It's a long process, but you should be back in your own bodies within the next twenty-four hours." She told them.

Sakura crossed her arms, looking very much like the Kazekage when evaluating an opponent. "And why, exactly, did you not realize this a week ago when we woke up in each other's bodies?"

"Yeah." Gaara snapped.

"I dunno, I was pretty drunk at the time and it didn't really occur to me." She shrugged.

Kakashi sighed. "She had me look up all this stuff on seals too…"

"Shut up Kakashi. You're just upset because you couldn't read your porn." Tsunade snapped. Then she looked at the other two. "The important thing is that now we know the proper procedure that needs to be done in order to switch you two back. All we have to do is put you under and have Inoichi go in. Shizune and I will monitor the entire thing to make sure it goes accordingly. Do I have your consent to do so?"

"You have mine." Sakura said. If two of the greatest medics were going to be there, and the best mind ninja was going to be doing the work, she had faith that they would be successful. Gaara just glared at her, his aura threatening.

"If this doesn't work and you mess up my body even more, I will hunt you down and kill you with these hands, no jutsu needed. So you better hope it works, because I want to be a man again."

"Whatever." The Hokage said, standing. "Let's get you two prepped then. We'll be doing the ceremony in a private hospital room, so that everything is hush-hush." She walked around her desk and made her way to the door.

"I shall inform Naruto and Sai of what's going on." Kakashi said, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Tsunade led them to the hospital, to a room similar to the one Sakura had woken up in, only it had two beds, the heads of which faced each other. "Just lie down and make yourselves comfortable, and I'll get the IVs started." She instructed.

Sakura laid down on one of the beds, and Gaara did the same. "Gaara, are you nervous?" Sakura asked, turning her head to look over at him.

"I just don't understand why we need IVs, aren't we just going to be made unconscious?"

"The IVs are what's going to make us go unconscious silly." She said, looking up at the ceiling. "They will have a special mixture in them that puts the patient into a deep sleep. We usually use it for surgeries and stuff." She explained.

He frowned, "Oh." Gaara sighed, he didn't like all this medical talk. It confused him somewhat. But then he thought about her question and stared at the ceiling. "Yes." He admitted, hoping she knew what he meant and that he wouldn't have to say it.

"Me too." She said softly.

Tsunade came back then, and hooked up their IVs. "Okay, you two should gradually feel yourselves becoming tired. Don't fight it. Just close your eyes and relax." She instructed.

Sakura nodded, already feeling the effects of the serum. Gaara shut his eyes as well and let out a fortifying breath. It was all or nothing.

* * *

Sakura blinked and sat up slowly, stretching her arms in the air. She felt well rested, but knew it was only because of the serum. At the familiar weight on her chest, she looked down. Her eyes widened at the sight of her own body, and she gripped the twin mounds. "I have breasts again. I have breasts again!" she declared, throwing her arms in the air.

"Oh my goodness, Gaara!" she gasped, turning in her bed to look over at him. He was still asleep, but she figured he would be waking soon. She crawled until her head was over his and examined his sleeping face. She'd noticed before just how handsome he was, especially while in his body, but it was nice to be able to see him from her own eyes.

"Hey Gaara." She said, poking his cheek. She wanted him to wake up so that she would be assured everything had gone properly.

He groaned and shifted a bit, "Quit it, I'm trying to sleep." He murmured.

"Gaara, we're back in our bodies." She told him, hoping that would be enough to get him to wake up.

He sighed and opened his pale jade eyes, staring up at her. "I know."

She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Then, how long have you been awake?" she asked.

"Ever since I was settled back in my body."

A dark blush crept up her cheeks as a smirk formed on his face. That meant that he had heard her when she'd woken up. "Oh."

Tsunade walked in then. "So you two are awake. Tell me, how do you feel? Any headaches or disorientation?" she asked.

"I feel fine Shishou." Sakura said, sitting back so that she was no longer hovering over the redhead. Gaara sat up and moved his fingers and then his legs, getting a feel, glad for the familiar weight of his muscle. He stood and nodded to the Hokage, signifying a thanks, and that he was fine.

He moved his hand through the air and actually smiled when he saw the sand respond to his command. "Ah, such relief, I am literally overjoyed." He said a bit plainly, not really able to show his true feelings.

Sakura stood as well, and stretched once more. The door burst open then, and in ran Naruto. "Sakura-chan!" he declared, jumping to Gaara to ensnare him in a fierce hug. The redhead quickly dodged out of the way, avoiding the fatal blow and watched as the blonde landed flat on his face. He stepped on his head, lowering down with a dark smirk.

"Don't ever hug me again Naruto. It's creepy and you kind of smell."

It was apparent that Naruto was trying to talk, as his arms were flailing around and his voice was muffled. Sakura just laughed. "You're such an idiot Naruto. We switched back already." She said. Sai and Kakashi came in then, not really surprised with the scene.

"Naruto was skeptical that it would work." The silver haired man said by way of explanation.

Gaara moved off and took a spot beside Sakura, crossing his arms over his chest, glad that he could frown and not be scolded for it. "Well of course anyone would be skeptical, but the good news is that it worked and we are ourselves once more."

"We have already informed Suna that you will be returning shortly." Tsunade said to Gaara. "Do you wish to head out today, or wait until tomorrow?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I need to return. I have been gone far longer than anticipated, and I miss my village very much. I will gather my things and leave, no need for a formal farewell, since I do not really care. Thank you Tsunade." he gave a small bow and then did the same to Kakashi. "Please thank your specialist as well."

"As you wish, I hope your journey goes well." The blonde Hokage said.

"Can't you stay just one more day Gaara? We didn't even get to hang out really because Sakura-chan was being all emotional!" Naruto whined. Suddenly he flew across the room and hit the wall, sinking to the floor in a daze.

"I missed being able to hit you." Sakura said with a smirk, cracking her knuckles.

"I missed you being able to vent without almost killing everyone." Gaara smirked, giving Sakura a pleased look. "Anyways, thank you Tsunade. I will send a letter when I return." He nodded and let his sand pick up, swarming around him and then sweeping him away.

"Where did he go?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Back to my apartment to get his things." Sakura said, leaving the room. Once she was out of the hospital she broke into a run, hoping to catch Gaara before he left. Even though he had said he didn't want a formal farewell, she still wanted to say goodbye to him.

Reaching her apartment, she opened the door and looked around her living room. "Gaara?" she called, entering and shutting the door behind her. Not getting a reply, she went back to her bedroom, only to find that it was empty. Disappointment filled her, and then anger. How could he not let her say goodbye?

Sitting down on the edge of her bed, she figured it was better this way. Things would have been awkward between them, since they had seen the other naked and all. But, she had felt closer to him than she ever would have gotten had the switch not happened. Perhaps he didn't share her feelings.

And while she was on the subject, what feelings did she hold for the stoic Kazekage? She had originally thought of him as a friend, and even a close one as the time of their confinement grew. And she knew that she cared for him deeply. But she wasn't sure how much.

Suddenly, a teardrop hit her leg, and she looked down at it in awe. She brought her hand to her face, and when she brought it away there was water on it. Sakura began to laugh as another tear rolled down the opposite cheek. She couldn't believe it, she was crying because Gaara was gone. It was then that she knew she had deeper feelings for him than she had first anticipated. He kept her calm whenever she would normally freak out, and knew her better than anyone else did at this point, because there weren't really any secrets between two people who had literally walked in the other's shoes.

Rising from the bed, she wiped her face and grabbed her bag, beginning to pack for the journey to Suna. She would inform Tsunade of this sudden turn of events, certain that her mentor would understand.


	10. Assertion

**Doppelganger **

_Chapter Ten_

-Assertion-

Gaara filed through some papers, signing off on what needed to be signed and reviewing the missions. Surprisingly, his paperwork wasn't too bad. Temari had done a wonderful job while he was away. But as glad as he was to be back in Suna, something felt off. His house seemed so vacant, and he actually felt…lonely.

But that was natural, right? After all, he had been with Sakura for a very long time, and she was the only company he had had. He sighed and set his pen down, resting his chin on his propped up hand. He stared off at the wall and thought about the woman he had actually gotten to know intimately.

Suddenly the door slammed open, hitting the wall with a force only one person could possess. The Kazekage blinked and tried to comprehend what he was seeing. "Sakura?" he asked, as if she were just a delusion. "What are you doing here?"

The pink haired woman walked up to his desk. "You left before I could say goodbye." She said somewhat breathlessly, since she had run the entire way.

He almost laughed, but got up and walked around his desk, looking down at her. "So…of course, the sensible thing to do was run all the way here so you could say bye?" he smirked a bit.

"No." she said, crossing her arms determinedly. "I have come to deliver news to you that could potentially change the alliance between our villages forever." She announced.

"Oh," he said lightly, "Is that so?" he moved and leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms and locking his pale jade with her emerald green. "Then please, do go on." He gestured.

"I love you." Sakura said simply, fighting her embarrassment. She'd thought the entire journey here how to tell him, and this was the best way she could come up with. Whether or not he felt the same, she didn't know. But she just had to get it out in the open.

The taunting look fell right off his face, replaced with one of absolute confusion. "What?" he said, looking just like a lost child.

"I, Haruno Sakura, love you, Sabaku no Gaara." She repeated, unable to keep down her blush any longer. Did this mean he didn't feel the same? It was taking all of her willpower to keep from fidgeting and looking away from him, but she wanted to appear strong.

His confusion only grew. "Why?"

She frowned. "I don't really think I can explain it. All I know is that when I came back to my apartment to say goodbye to you and saw that you were gone, I cried. I don't know how it happened, I don't know why, but in the time we were in each other's bodies and staying together, I fell for you. You know things about me that nobody else does, and you help me stay calm. And if you don't feel the same, then I guess I ran for three days for absolutely no reason."

He actually looked a bit irritated. "I never said that, I just asked why. It's a legitimate question. This is coming from almost nowhere." He said, standing straight and taking a step closer to her, grabbing onto her upper arms so she couldn't move away.

She looked up at him, her heartbeat picking up at their close proximity. "No, it's coming from my heart." She said softly, trying to quell the swell of emotions she was feeling. It was something she was getting used to once more, having all her estrogen back.

"Hm." He leaned down slowly, keeping his eyes on hers, until he closed them and pressed his lips against hers. Sakura's eyes widened at the unexpected contact, but closed as she lost herself in the feeling. She brought her hands up and placed them on his chest, leaning into him slightly.

He pulled away quickly, staring down at her. "Wow…" he said a bit breathlessly. He had never done anything like that before.

Sakura smiled up at him. "You're telling me." She said.

"So…" he began, swallowing hard as a slight pink came to his cheeks. "What does this make you? My, uh, girlfriend?"

She chuckled. "Only if you want me to be. I told Tsunade-shishou I'd write her to tell her how it went. I do have about a month's worth of unused vacation time after all, and we did talk about me coming to visit."

He sighed, giving her a skeptical look. "Sakura, I thought by now that you would know better. If I said it then I mean it. I would not say something I want nothing to do with." He smiled, trying to show her the side of him that only she would witness.

She looped her arms around his neck in order to be closer to him, enjoying being able to touch him the way she knew nobody else ever had. "I know, but I had to plan for the worst now didn't I? I didn't want to get my hopes up after all." She gave him a considering look. "Does this mean you feel the same?" she couldn't help but ask.

"No, I just smiled and kissed you cause' I thought it would be funny." He smirked, shaking his head and letting out a deep sigh.

"Shut up." She said, punching him playfully in the chest. "You know I like to be thorough." She smiled.

Gaara leaned down once more and kissed her forehead. "I know that."

Sakura's smile widened. "So, do you have work that needs to be finished, or would you like to play hooky?" she asked, raising a delicate brow.

"Nothing that can't wait." he assured her.

"Hooky it is then." She grabbed his hand, the smile never leaving her face. Gaara smiled down at her, and Sakura just knew that she had found the one she was meant to be with. From this day forward, her life, and Gaara's, would be forever changed.


End file.
